Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-124
Thomas L. Dumm (Section 01)
Political theory is concerned with core human values regarding order, freedom, equality, identity, rights and obligations, and the institutions and discourses through which struggles concerning these values are mediated. In this course, we will explore arguments in the history of political thought concerning legitimacy and power, representation, the state, and modern understandings of liberalism, democracy, and various form of authoritarianism. Further, we will be asking questions concerning the future of modern political institutions in the face of a contemporary condition marked by intensifying political, economic, and ecological precariousness throughout the planet. Though the specific readings will vary from year to year, among those whose work we may be reading and discussing are Plato, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Marx, Weber, and contemporarily such thinkers as Judith Butler, William Connolly, Cornel West, John Rawls, Michel Foucault, Hannah Arendt, and Leo Strauss.
Limited to 60 students. Thirty seats reserved for first-year students. Fall 2024. Professor Dumm.
How to handle overenrollment: Priority given to first- and second-year students.
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Readings, written work, and oral presentation.
Course Materials