Political Theory and Methodology

This course is an introduction to research in political science. Emphasis will be given to comparative design, case selection, measurement, graphing, survey research, research writing and essay, and political science research sources.

This course covers the major classics of political thought from Western antiquity through the Medieval period. It explores the origins of western political philosophy in ancient Greece in the writings of Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle, and then charts its further development in Christendom in the works of St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas.

This course covers the major classics of political thought of the Modern Era through the 19th century. It begins with the Renaissance writings of Machiavelli and moves through the political works of such modern thinkers as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Nietzsche, and Mill.

In the contemporary west, constitutional liberal democracy has established itself as the only legitimate form of political organization. This course examines contemporary theories of liberal democracy, as well as contemporary critiques made by postmodern, communitarian, classical republican, feminist, conservative, and traditionalist thinkers.

A survey of writings representative of American political theory, including selections from colonial and revolutionary political thought, the constitutional debates, Federalist, Jeffersonian, and Jacksonian thought, theories of slavery, abolitionism, reconstruction and Social Darwinism, progressivism and post World War II thought, and contemporary theories of liberalism, conservatism and communitarianism.

This course focuses on fiction as a vehicle for exploring themes of democracy and the market. Through the cases and themes introduced in novels, we address important philosophical and political issues of rebellion, boundaries between the private and public spheres, and visions of utopia.

This course focuses on film as a vehicle for exploring issues of political representation, mobilization, and rebellion. We examine each theme within the U.S. case and then compare the themes across countries. Through this comparative perspective, students gain a rich understanding of U.S. political development and democratization.