POLT 237 - Politics after Religion? A Search for Political Authority

FC SSCI

4 credits
This course surveys some of the most influential political thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries. It traces the growing skepticism of theorists on both the Left and Right towards the “Enlightenment project,” the idea that technological advance, open markets, rational administration, and more inclusive education would ultimately dissipate the primary sources of political conflict, making way for a harmonious-and secular-society that had less and less need for the “social glue” of religion. Recommended Preparation: a course in political theory.

Prerequisites: one course in POLT.

This course is appropriate for new students.