POL-350 Political Philosophy †

An examination of major concepts, ideologies, figures, and texts in political thought in their continuing relevance in understanding politics, broadly construed. Key themes to be explored include: the nature of politics, authority, and governance; competing visions of socio-economic arrangements; constitutionalism and the social contract; sovereignty, power and legitimacy. Key thinkers may include some or all of the following plus others: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Madison, Marx, Hayek, Friedman.