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Special Topics in Political Science (390-0-33)

Topic

The Circulation of Ideas Between East and West

Instructors

Jinxue Chen

Meeting Info

Scott Hall 201 Ripton Room: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

Are democracy, equality, and human rights universal political ideas or are they Western constructs? What are the historical origins of these concepts and how have they been circulating in the world? How do we understand, compare, and evaluate political ideas that are rooted in different traditions?

To address these questions, we will delve into texts exploring a myriad of political ideas and visions. Our exploration will start from the insights of ancient thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Mencius, progressing to the perspectives of modern thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Liang Qichao, and finally, we will reach debates in the contemporary world. Our focus will be on examining key political ideas, including but not limited to human rights, equality, and justice as discussed in these foundational texts, and their circulation between East and West.

Registration Requirements

Students are expected to be junior and senior but can ask for a permission number if they are sophomore or freshman.

Learning Objectives


  • Develop proficiency in contextualizing and interpretating primary sources

  • Identify and critically assess the ways in which culture, nation, race, and history are used in political discourse

  • Analyze the impact of pluralism, interconnection, decolonization, and cosmopolitanism on the formation of global political thought

  • Apply evidence effectively to create or challenge historical arguments.

Evaluation Method

Class participation 20%
Paper, mid-term 20%
Paper, with presentation 30%
Paper, final 30%

Class Materials (Required)

Confucius. The Analects. Translated by D. C. Lau. Penguin Books, 1998. ISBN-10: 0140443487
Mencius. Mencius. Translated by D.C. Lau. Penguin Books, 2005. ISBN-10 : 014044971X
Aristotle, Politics: A New Translation. translated by C.D.C Reeve. Hackett: 2017. ISBN 9781624665578
Plato, Republic Translated by G.M.A.Grube. Hackett:1992. ISBN 978-0872201361