Government 363 - CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

This seminar in political theory examines the idea and practice of civil disobedience. Are citizens morally obligated to obey unjust laws? How do we know when a law is unjust? What kinds of protest actions are justified? Is violence ever legitimate? This course will engage student with these questions by reading classic and contemporary texts from both philosophers and practitioners of forms of disobedience and resistance. Texts include works by John Rawls, Judith Shklar, Henry David Thoreau, MK Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Hannah Arendt. Prerequisite:GOV 100 or other coursework in political theory.

Instructor Permission. Not open to first-years, sophomores