Power and Freedom: Words, Concepts, Politics

Catalog description

Power and freedom are among the most important elements of the language of politics, and of the scholarly study of politics, but they are notoriously difficult to define. In this class, we'll try to clarify these terms by studying some important past and present debates, both academic and political, about their meaning. We will also consider some more general questions: Why are so many basic political terms so deeply contested? Are the concepts we use to study politics always themselves political-and if so, in what sense? What's the relationship between political words and political concepts, anyway? What can we learn about the theory and practice of politics by paying attention to language and its histories? (GOVT-PT)