Modern Political and Social Theory

Catalog description

Research on major developments and issues in modern political and social theory, such as critical theory, modernism, and postmodernism. PL SC 583 Modern Political and Social Theory (3 per semester/maximum of 9) This course will survey recent versions of liberal theory as well as critical appraisals of that tradition. Particular attention will be paid to the developments of liberalism in the most recent work of Rawls and Habermas. We will then consider critical appraisals of liberalism arising from various corners: communitarianism, identity politics, and post-modernism. Throughout, we will explore themes concerning the grounds of political theorizing and normative justification, models of the self and the person presupposed in political theories, questions of individualism and collective identity, and the very possibility of stable meanings and generalized theory construction. Precise content will vary in subsequent offerings of the course, as determined by instructor. Students will consult with instructor prior to taking the course additional times. This course will be offered once a year with 12 seats per offering.