Course Outline for Political Science 25
Introduction to Political Theory

Effective: Fall 2024
SLO Rev:

Catalog Description:

POSC 25 - Introduction to Political Theory

3.00 Units

An introduction to the study of political theory. Course introduces the fundamental questions of ethics and politics by analyzing works of political philosophy from antiquity to the present. Emphasizes core themes of political theory, such as justice, power, rights, liberty, and citizenship, and differing conceptions of the state. Students will learn how to interpret, analyze, and critically evaluate political theory texts in order to apply political theory to historical and current political realities.
Strongly Recommended: Eligibility for ENGL 1.
CB03: TOP Code 2207.00 - Political Science
CIP Code 45.1001 - Political Science and Government, General.
Course Grading: Letter Grade Only
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Lecture 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Total 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00

Measurable Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. evaluate the study of political theory, based on original texts and other sources, as a means for understanding important political phenomena;
  2. analyze political theory and theoretical texts and explain how they are relevant to contemporary issues;
  3. read, interpret, and evaluate arguments independently and critically;
  4. define their own theoretical commitments in the political realm;
  5. assess the historical and social context surrounding the generation of political theories;
  6. compare and contrast the defining elements of each political theory;
  7. analyze the different assumptions and values about "human nature" and "reality" embedded in each political theory and examine the way these starting premises shape the questions asked and conclusions reached;
  8. evaluate the contribution of political theories toward a comprehensive understanding of political life and institutions.

Course Content:

  1. Read, interpret, and analyze classic, America, modern, and post-modern political theorists, which may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
    1. Socrates
    2. Plato
    3. Aristotle
    4. Augustine
    5. Aquinas
    6. Locke
    7. Machiavelli
    8. Hobbes
    9. Rousseau
    10. Hume
    11. Marx
    12. John Stuart Mill
    13. Burke
    14. Bentham
    15. Rawls
    16. Charles Mills
    17. Isaiah Berlin
    18. Emma Goldman
    19. Wollstonecraft
    20. Hegel
    21. Gramsci
    22. Judith Butler
    23. Arendt
    24. Foucault    
  2. The moral foundations of social and political institutions
  3. Concepts of equality, liberty, authority, justice, economic justice, virtue, democracy, citizenship, and the social contract
  4. The political philosophy canon - adequacies and limitations

Methods of Instruction:

  1. Audio-visual materials
  2. Distance Education
  3. Informal seminar style
  4. Lecture, including use of PowerPoint
  5. Socratic method
  6. Student presentations (individual and group)

Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

1. Typical Assignments
  1. Evaluate a primary theoretical political text utilizing argumentation, logic, and evidence.
  2. Summarize and defend a theoretical perspective during an in-class debate
  3. Write a report on a political philosopher selected from a list of options, providing bibliographic information, the philosophical problem(s) they address, main tenets of their theory, justifications, and an assessment/opinion of the theory.
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
  1. Quizzes
  2. Midterm Examination
  3. Peer evaluations
  4. Class Participation
  5. Written assignments including critical essays and/or research papers
  6. Final Examination
3. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Summarize, compare and analyze a variety of primary source political philosophical texts.
  2. apply abstract political theoretical concepts to concrete social issues.
  3. Distinguish between various forms of political organizations (governmental structures)

Textbooks (Typical):

  1. Wolff, Jonathan (2023). An Introduction to Political Philosophy (4th). Oxford University Press.
  2. Christman, J. (2017). Social and Political Philosophy (1st). Routledge.
  3. Sterba, James P (2017). Social and Political Philosophy: Classical Western Texts in Feminist and Multicultural Perspective (2nd). Wadsworth Publishing.
  4. Weston, Anthony (2018). A Rulebook for Arguments Hacket Press.

Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:

An introduction to various theoretical approaches to politics, including selected political thinkers from ancient times to the present, and the application of political theory to current political realities.
Strongly Recommended: Eligibility for ENGL 1.

Discipline:
Political Science*