Introduction to Political Theory
POL3003 / 3 q.h.
Formerly POL 4370.
Discusses the development of the political ideas of the Western world, including the ideas of the major philosophers of Greece (where thinking and writing about how the state can be organized began 2,500 years ago), Rome, the Christian Era, and the Renaissance. Examines the major ancient and medieval political theorists—including Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as Machiavelli, an early modern theorist—in the context of the societies in which they lived. Considers the relevance of their writings to the present day, particularly in terms of such themes as the idea of community, the nature of justice, the relationship of politics and ethics, the role of religion and the church, and the emergence of statecraft and realpolitik.
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