Ancient Political Theory

(4 Credits)

This course will introduce the foundations of ancient democracy and republicanism through reading and critical discussion of the works of Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Polybius, Cicero, and others. Ancient political thinkers used observations on history and contemporary politics to demonstrate the merits of different constitutions, which we can compare with the approach of modern political scientists. We will discuss the theory as well as the practice of ancient government, paying due attention to its enormous influence on modern thought and its relevance to problems in our time.