By surveying landmark texts in the history of Western political thought, this course provides an overview of some of the central ideas that have shaped present-day approaches to politics and government. During the first two thirds of the course, we will read selections from Plato, Aristotle, Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Adam Smith, the Federalists, Karl Marx, Henry David Thoreau, W.E.B. DuBois, J.S. Mill, Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault, and John Rawls. After exploring ways in which the principles and ideas advanced by these theorists relate to ongoing political developments and debates, students will make presentations on topics chosen from a list of possibilities such as Aristotle's legacy to scientific inquiry, Adam Smith's role in the making of modern economics, Henry David Thoreau's contributions to environmental philosophy, and what W.E.B. DuBois can teach us about race relations in the twenty-first-century.
This page will be updated the next time the course is taught. At that time, I will post selections from the authors below, as well as assignments, paper topics, writing guides, and other related materials.
