PSI 2208 - Inventors of Political Ideas: Intro to Political Theory

Credits: 4.00
This is an introduction to political theory through the close study and critical assessment of selected original works by leading Western political thinkers. Students will be introduced to the central concepts in political theory including justice, virtue, sovereignty, liberty, equality, state of nature, social contract, democracy, liberalism, and republicanism. We will also explore similarities and differences between the ancients and moderns, especially the relationship between nature or natural law and politics, the relationship between morality and politics, the relationship between the individual and the state, the role of religion in politics, and the equality or inequality of human beings.
McDaniel Plan: Social, Cultural and Historical Understanding, Textual Analysis