POLS 5Political Philosophy

Catalog

This course is designed as an introduction to the study of political philosophy. The course engages prominent works from the history of political thought while addressing the concepts, questions, tensions and problems that guide the study of politics. Among these are: what is justice; what are the goals of a decent society; what is the nature of citizenship and what are its corresponding privileges and obligations; what is the nature of political obligation and are there limits to that obligation; what is the appropriate division between rights and responsibilities; how should liberty and equality be balanced? To this end, Political Philosophy examines classic, modern, and contemporary works from the tradition of political thought. POLS 5 is also listed as PHIL 5; credit will be given in either area, not both.