Political elements in novels, plays, and other literary works; consideration of works might include The Octopus, In Dubious Battle, All the King's Men, Brave New World, and 1984 and many others.
Major traditions in jurisprudence, including positivism, natural law, and legal realism; analysis of selected theoretical questions that arise within the framework of law and law enforcement, including justice, punishment, civil disobedience, human rights, the rule of law, the enforcement of morals; definition of law and of a legal system, the relationship between law and morality, and the notion of legalism as an ideology.
The course examines an array of feminist theories of politics in order to equip students to analyze political issues from a variety of different and sometimes contending feminist perspectives.
Selected writers and doctrines in the tradition of Western thought on politics and society, from Greece through the Reformation. Prerequisite: Open to juniors and seniors, and to others with instructor's permission.
Selected writers and doctrines in the tradition of Western thought on politics and society, from Hobbes through Marx. Prerequisite: Open to juniors and seniors, and to others with instructor's permission.
Leading American political thinkers, their ideas, and their contributions to the development of the American political system. First semester: political ideas from colonial times to the 1880s. Second semester: political thoughts in America since the Civil War.
Major ideas and ideologies involved in the political conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries; topics include mass movements, fascism, Marxism, nationalism, liberalism, feminism, globalization, and democratic theory.
Joint discussion and analysis of selected readings in the literature of political philosophy. Open only to juniors and seniors.
Transformation of Marxist theory due to the practical exigencies of sociopolitical conditions; analysis of Marx's writings and selected theorists of the Second and Third Internationals; relations between Leninism and Stalinism; Marxism today.
A hands-on exploration of the building blocks of theory: concepts; definitions; truth claims; causes and effects; necessary, sufficient, and facilitating conditions; agency/structural approaches; case studies; comparative theorizing. An introduction to methodological approaches, which could include quantitative and qualitative methods, survey construction and analysis, and content analysis.
Individual study and research on selected problems in political science. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair and instructor.