POLT 133 - Introduction to Political Theory: What to do with the canon in political theory?

FC SSCI

4 credits
In this course we engage with the question of political power at two levels. First, we identify how the canonical texts of Western political theory describe and theorize power. We will answer questions such as: What is power? What can we do about power and what is its relationship to freedom? Second, while we will read authors by engaging with the understanding of power, we also ask why they are taught in political theory and how they came to constitute a canonical tradition. Power is not only embedded in our texts but is also key to the selection of these readings. We will move back and forth between identifying power as a process of disciplinary formation and thinking about how the texts describe and analyze power.
Course Last Offered/Scheduled: Fall 2016