Political Theory - Areas of Study
Introduction | Areas of Study | Field and Examination Requirements |
Master Syllabus |
Faculty |
Dissertation Prospectus Guide
Areas of Study
The following areas of study constitute a fairly traditional demarcation of the predominant concerns within the field of political theory. They are meant to serve students as guides in developing individual programs of study and preparing for the comprehensive examination.
A. The History of Political Thought: Study and comparison of the leading thinkers and works comprising the tradition of political theory from ancient to modern times.
Courses:
- Politics and Theory (POT 6505): This seminar is part of the required sequence for all Ph.D. candidates. It provides an introduction to the major themes of political theory.
- Ancient Political Thought: A close reading of political philosophers and themes from antiquity, with a focus on ancient Greece, Rome and early Christian thinkers.
- Modern Political Thought: A close reading of political theorists and themes from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century. Emphasis will be placed on thinkers regarded as central to the development of republicanism, liberalism, democracy, conservatism, and feminism.
- Marxism and Critical Theory: Examines the seminal works of Karl Marx and their development and transformation by later Marxists and neo-Marxists, such as Lenin, Gramsci, and Laclau and Mouffe. The seminar also explores the Frankfurt School's distinctive effort to integrate elements of Marxism with psychoanalysis and cultural criticism.
- Great Political Thinkers Ancient and Medieval (POT 4013: can be taken for graduate credit if Ancient Political Thought seminar not offered):Close reading of major classical political thinkers such as Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, and Aquinas. Emphasis on the principles of a just political order, the nature of political knowledge, civic virtue, and church-state struggles.
- Great Political Thinkers: Machiavelli to Marx (POT 4053: can be taken for graduate credit if Modern Political Thought seminar not offered): Study of selected political theorists from Machiavelli to Marx. Themes covered may include liberalism, conservatism, utilitarianism, idealism. Emphasis on ideas of authority, freedom, obligation, and consent.
B. Contemporary Theorists and Current Controversies: Study of contemporary issues and debates in the field of political theory, with a focus on influential interpretations of canonical figures, original contemporary political thought, and important topical issues, such as multiculturalism, communitarianism, environmentalism, deliberative democracy, globalism, feminism, liberalism, republicanism, and poststructuralism.
Courses:
- Contemporary Political Theory (POT 6067): A close reading of one or more contemporary political philosophers whose works have had major impacts on the field. (e.g. Arendt, Foucault, Habermas).
- Democratic Theory (POT 6314): An examination of the classical theorists and critics of democracy (Plato, Rousseau, Tocqueville, Marx) as well as contemporary debates in democratic theory. Topics covered include participation, deliberation, multiculturalism, and representation.
- Liberalism and Its Critics: A close reading of selected texts by leading contemporary defenders of liberalism, in conjunction with an investigation of influential theoretical standpoints questioning liberal orthodoxy (e.g., feminism, post-structuralism, communitarianism, Marxism, critical race theory).
- Political Judgment: Investigation of the nature of practical wisdom and its role in political life, from Aristotle's and Machiavelli's writings on prudence through the works of John Dewey, Hannah Arendt and contemporary theorists of decision-making within the fields of economics and cognitive psychology.
Electives for students interested in Political Theory
Students interested in Political Theory are encouraged to broaden their intellectual horizons by achieving fluency in a foreign language and exploring seminars in cognate disciplines, including English Literature and Composition, History, Philosophy, Religion, Classics and the Social Sciences. The following courses might be considered:
Classics
- CLA 1100 The Glory that was Greece
- CLA 1120 The Glory that was Rome
- CLA 3501 Women in Classical Antiquity
English
- ENC 3312 Advanced Argumentative Writing
- LIT 6855 Cultural Studies
History
- HIS 4114 The Nature of History
- AMH 6557 Constitutional and Legal History of the United States
Linguistics
- LIN 2000 Language: Humanities Perspective
- LIN 2001 Language: Social Science Perspective
Philosophy
- PHI 5456 Philosophy of the Social Sciences
- PHH 5505 Studies in Continental Philosophy
- PHM 5826 Social and Political Philosophy
- PHI 6426 Seminar in Epistemology and Social Theory
- PHI 5665 Ethical Theory
- PHM 5125 Feminist Philosophy
Religion
- REL 3021 The Individual and Religious Experience
- REL 3140 Religion and Society
Sociology
- SYA 6125 Classical Sociological Theory
