POS 203 - Introduction to Political Ideas

1. Identify key figures in the history of Western political thought and explain their core ideas.

1. Discuss political philosophy and the key questions it seeks to address.
2. Identify key figures in ancient political thought and explain their core ideas.
3. Identify key figures in medieval political thought and explain their core ideas.
4. Identify key figures in early modern political thought and explain their core ideas.
5. Identify key figures in late modern and recent political thought and explain their core ideas.

1. Intensive Writing and Critical Inquiry
   1. Producing written discourse in more than one assignment through papers, reports, quizzes, tests, etc., which includes a minimum word standard of 3000 words.
   2. Written assignments emphasize critical inquiry which includes the gathering, interpreting, and evaluating of evidence.
   3. Includes a formal out of class paper of at least 1,500 words which requires critical inquiry and where the writer develops and supports a main idea.  
   4. Explicit writing instruction with timely feedback to help students improve their writing and critical inquiry skills is part of the course’s content.
   5. The evaluation of written assignments must include the overall quality of written work and critical inquiry, as measured by a rubric.
   6. At least 50% of the student’s grade must be based on the written work and critical inquiry assignments.
2. Political Philosophy as a Discipline
   1. Political philosophy as a discipline
   2. What is Human Nature?
      1. Nature versus nurture
      2. Reason and revelation
   3. What is right and justice?
      1. Natural right and law
      2. Convention and power
      3. Other approaches
   4. What is the good regime?
      1. Good society
      2. Good government
      3. Basis of legitimacy
   5. Liberty and Equality
3. Ancient Political Thought
   1. Plato
   2. Aristotle
   3. Other thinkers
4. Medieval Political Thought
   1. St. Augustine
   2. St. Thomas Aquinas
   3. Marsilius of Padua
   4. Other Thinkers
5. Early Modern Political Thought
   1. Niccolo Machiavelli
   2. Francis Bacon
   3. Thomas Hobbes
   4. John Locke
   5. Other thinkers
6. Late Modern Political Thought
   1. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
   2. Publius
   3. Alexis de Tocqueville
   4. John Stuart Mill
   5. Karl Marx
   6. Other thinkers
7. Postmodern and Contemporary Political Thought
   1. Friedrich Nietzsche
   2. Modern liberalism and conservatism
   3. Feminism
   4. Selected contemporary thinkers