This course engages central topics in political philosophy including the nature of justice, forms of governance, the public-private distinction as well as conceptions of political power and legitimacy. These topics will be addressed by studying seminal texts written by classical and contemporary political philosophers. The goal is to better understand the ways different political philosophies have given expression to various forms of political institutions and shape the lives of those people affected by them.

CILO-1: Distinguish between normative and non-normative approaches to political theorizing. CILO-2: Understand and differentiate between major approaches to political philosophy such as liberalism, libertarianism, communitarianism and Marxism. CILO-3: Define key concepts of political philosophy and draw on these concepts to interpret complex empirical issues. CILO-4: Read philosophical texts and carefully interpret them in speaking and writing. CILO-5: Deliberate on contentious issues in political philosophy from a well-grounded personal perspective.