Introduction to Political Theory (201-0-20)
Instructors
Jacqueline Stevens
Scott Hall, Rm 304
Meeting Info
University Hall 122: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
In this course we will analyze canonical political theoretical texts in conversation with contemporary U.S. jurisprudence and politics, paying special attention to themes of sovereignty, nationalism, war, the rule of law, speech, sex, race, religion, and resistance. The objective is for students to acquire the knowledge and competencies of a responsible citizen. This means that you should leave this class with the ability to think, write, and speak about political theories and their relation to laws and legal obligations, as well as strategies for supporting, challenging, or resisting prevailing political intuitions and their institutionalization. You should be able to understand and defend your own interpretations of political conflicts, violence, and law. To do so will require you to become familiar with key historical events relevant to contemporary debates about the rule of law, speech, and religion, to which much of the lectures will be devoted. Assigned readings include works by Plato, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, Rosa Luxemburg, Frantz Fanon, and Carole Pateman. Please note: this class requires you read about 100 pages of political theory weekly, on average. This is a course for those who enjoy reading and discussing challenging texts. The authors assigned for this class wrote in very different times and contexts, and had different political priorities. Each week please reflect on whether the author's objective is a state with a primary goal of institutionalizing ideas about nationality; a state with the overriding objective of institutionalizing justice, or thwarting injustice; or a state whose power is instrumental to protecting individuals' safety, property, or flourishing. Which author's commitments and aspirations do you find most inspiring and most objectionable?
Registration Requirements
Attendance at first class required
Teaching Method
Lecture and discussion sections
Class Materials (Required)
Trials of Socrates, Plato ISBN: 9780872205895
The Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes ISBN: 978-9-141-39509-9
The Second Treatise of Government, John Locke ISBN: 9780915144860
A Letter Concerning Toleration, John Locke ISBN-10 : 091514560X
On Liberty and the Subjection of Women, J.S. Mill ISBN: 9780141441474
Class Attributes
Interdisciplinary Distro-rules apply
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
Ethics & Values Distro Area
Associated Classes
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-335: Thurs 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-319: Thurs 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - Parkes Hall 214: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - Locy Hall 303: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM