Program Subfields: Political Theory Comparative Politics International Relations American Government & Politics Political Methodology

Political Theory

Political theory is concerned mainly with the foundations of political community and institutions. It focuses on human nature and the moral purposes of political association. To clarify these concepts, political theorists draw on enduring political writings from ancient Greece to the present and on various writings by moral philosophers. Political theory also focuses on empirical research into the way political institutions function in practice. Here political theorists subject beliefs about political life found in important political writings to re-examination in the light of ongoing human behavior. In either case, political theory seeks to ultimately deepen political thinking and to spur citizens to responsible and creative political action.

POL S 201, Introduction to Political Theory, provides students with an overview of the main lines of thought in political theory. Advanced courses focus on given concepts, topics, and thought in political theorizing.

Courses in Political Theory

• POL S 201 Introduction to Political Theory
• POL S 212 Philosophy of Feminism (PHIL 206/WOMEN 206)
• POL S 273 Concept of Power
• POL S 301 Political Theory Topics (10 credits max.)
• POL S 308 W- Ancient Political Thought
• POL S 309 W- Pre-modern Political Thought
• POL S 310 W- Modern Political Thought
• POL S 311 Individual and the State
• POL S 316 Af-Am Pol/Soc Thought
• POL S 318 American Political Thought I
• POL S 401 Political Theory Topics (10 credits max.)
• POL S 409 W- Undergrad Seminar on Political Economy (10 credits max.) (on the list, but field varies according to quarterly topic)
• POL S 410 Technology and Politics
• POL S 411 Theories of the State
• POL S 412 Democratic Theory
• POL S 413 Contemporary Theory