How to Rule the World: The Promises and Pitfalls of Politics, War, and Empire

3-0-9 units. HASS-H; CI-H · Undergraduate

Explores the ambitions and constraints of political rule in order to understand how transformational leaders have (or should have) managed both in the service of good government. Employs normative and empirical methods to assess effective leadership, with particular attention to trade-offs between justice and security and to competing notions of justice itself. Includes case studies and various foundational texts that address the theme of great political leadership. Drawing on the texts, students discern different criteria for good rule and assess both the adequacy of those criteria and whether case studies support them. Preference to Concourse students.