POL S 201 A: Introduction to Political Theory

Course Description:  Introduction to Political Theory

It is not controversial to say that freedom, equality, and justice are central values in democratic theory.  But there is substantial disagreement about what these values mean.  Political theorists call such values “essentially contested.”  Changes in contemporary life provide new arenas to explore how these values can be realized or repressed in society, community, and our individual lives.  In the 21st century, new technologies, shifts in globalization, and the threat (and opportunity) of the climate crisis vivify long-standing debates about freedom, equality, and justice.  In this introductory political theory class, we will put the new in conversation with the old as we gain a foundation in the history of political thought to explore the richness of political ideas, their genealogy, and their relevance to issues that divide and unite societies today.  The class will examine what the thinkers on our syllabus, which cover a range of cultural contexts and historical eras, see as the most important barriers to realizing core democratic values.  In doing so, we will gain a greater understanding of political ideologies like liberalism, civic republicanism, existentialism, Marxism, anarchism, post colonialism, critical race theory, and green political theory.  Critiques of domination and oppression will be linked to debates about rights and responsibilities, economics and racial capitalism, the role of government in ordering social life, and the menace of climate change, which may upend everything.  Through a lively syllabus of readings, films, and videos, students will engage with course material in a dynamic classroom with interactive lectures, spirited conversation, and thoughtful writing assignments (short papers, discussion posts, and an essay-based final exam).  There will be ample opportunity for students to think deeply about what the values of freedom, equality, and justice mean to them and to critically reflect on their salience to contemporary life.  Finally, as good political theorists, we will squarely confront reality even as we imagine radically different futures that are more emancipated, egalitarian, and just.  The course is available as an optional W credit.