POLS& 201 - Introduction to Political Theory

5 Credits

Examines the ideas behind some of the great social movements in world history, exploring minds from Plato and Aristotle to Martin Luther King Jr. and Chairman Mao.

Course Note Previously POL S 202.
Fees

Quarters Typically Offered

Designed to Serve Political Science majors and students needing social science credit.
Active Date 2011-06-15

Grading Basis Decimal Grade
Class Limit 38
Contact Hours: Lecture 55 Lab 0 Field Studies 0 Clinical 0 Independent Studies 0
Total Contact Hours 55
Degree Distributions:
AA

Social Science Area I

Course Outline
1. Introduction. 2. Plato, Aristotle and the ancient Greeks. 3. Church and state St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Luther and Calvin. 4. Machiavelli and the beginnings of modernity 5. The rise of democracy: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and the Founding Fathers. 6. The Angry Economists: Kari Marx and John Stuart Mill 7. Love and War: Mussolini, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

Student Learning Outcomes
Students will develop critical thinking skills related to political arguments; knowledge of broad categories of political thought; and knowledge of political movements in history.