This course is an upper division course in Political Theory. Its principal goal is to survey how the prominent thinkers in the “Western” tradition have talked about the relationship between political systems, the economic arena, and domestic/global society. It covers material written from the 1600s to the present day, a period which saw the collapse of feudalism, the emergence of modern nation-states, global capitalism and colonialism, the postwar remaking of the world, and the rise of neoliberalism and contemporary populism. The course will explore the writings of a wide range thinkers who have theorized the relationship between politics and
economics, locating them in their historical context, exploring how they build one upon the other, interrogating their ideas, influence and shortcomings, and thinking about what they might teach us about the historical and philosophical roots of contemporary problems. An important goal of this class will be to relate these thinkers to present day realities, as this body of scholarship theorizes the origins and emergence of the very phenomena and dynamics that continue to play out in our times. We will cultivate historical perspective on our world and develop sophisticated answers to contemporary social issues, ultimately assessing the legacy of the “Political Economy” as a set of theories, practices and form of education.
Subfield: Political Theory