Course Description
Selected works of such writers as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas, concluding with the rejection of classical thought by Machiavelli.
Athena Title
Political Phil to Machiavelli
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in POLS 4010
Non-Traditional Format
This course will be taught 95% or more online.
Prerequisite
POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The course has three goals: first, to provide an introduction to some of the most important political and ethical theories and texts produced in the western world prior to the 17th century; second, to examine the relationship between political ideas and theories and the historical contexts in which they were articulated and developed; and third, to explore the ways in which ideas articulated by previous figures and in prior historical periods can inform and enrich contemporary discussions.
Topical Outline
The course structure is based on 6 thematic/chronological units, which range from 1 to 4 weeks of instruction: Unit 1: Classical Athens, Democracy, and the Problems of Persuasion Unit 2: Socrates, Plato, and Athenian Democracy Unit 3: Aristotle’s Political Thought Unit 4: Cicero and Roman Political Thought Unit 5: Augustine’s Political Thought Unit 6: Machiavelli and Modernity