PSC 231 - History of Political Ideas (3 cr.)

An examination of core political ideas such as government, power, legitimacy, the state, sovereignty, justice, citizenship, equality, rights, interests, and the common good through selections drawn from important works of political thought that span some 2,500 years, from the ancient Greeks (Plato) to the eve of the French Revolution (Rousseau). A study of how each inventor of political ideas (e.g. Aristotle, Machiavelli) wrestles within their own time and place, with the most basic questions which human beings can ask about society - perennial questions about institutions and relations of power that never lose their relevance.
Liberal arts
General Education Category: Western Civilization
Semester(s) Offered: Fall or Spring