Topics in Political Philosophy

3 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Lecture) This course critically examines questions in political philosophy, both perennial and contemporary. Authors discussed may include: Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau, Locke, Mill, Marx, Rawls, Nozick, Strauss, Scruton, Taylor, Kymlicka, Turner. Problems may include: When are people a nation? When is a state illegitimate, Do the sovereignty claims of Indigenous Peoples trump those of nation states? What is a social contract? Do citizens have political obligations? Is democracy the only just form of government? Is civil society morally preferable to anarchy? What does justice require of a nation's economic and political institutions? What is the relationship between collective and human rights? Requisite Courses: A minimum of 12 credit hours in Philosophy [prerequisite(s)].