Politics 212 - Modern Political Thought

This reading-intensive course will introduce students to some of the major texts of modern political philosophy. As we read these tracts, we will engage with the questions these thinkers raise about concepts such as sovereignty, power/authority, consent, liberty, property, justice, and subjugation. From Machiavelli to Tocqueville, these thinkers' ideas remain critically important in contemporary politics. Throughout this course, we will consider what relevance these concepts continue to have in the world we live in and how we might think about judging, and indeed critically evaluating, the political culture we inhabit and enable.

Course limited to sophomores, juniors and seniors