Modern Political Thought

Instructor Information

Dr. Jose Marichal
Contact: marichal@callutheran.edu
Office Hours: via Zoom 12-12:30 T-W-TH OHO

Course Goals

This course introduces you to the key thinkers in Western political thought from the 17th century up to the present day. The economist John Maynard Keynes once wrote “practical (people) who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.” We can extend this thinking to “some defunct political theorist.” The thinkers we will read have produced ideas that shape the way we understand the key issues in our lives: What does it mean to be free? What is legitimate authority and force? What does it mean to achieve equality? What is the self, and what shapes ours (and other’s) conception of it? We will explore these ideas and try to develop our own perspective on these questions through them and their critics. We will explore both the “traditional canon” (Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, Rawls, etc.) and the critiques of their ideas from both Western and Non-Western thinkers.

Assignments & Assessment

Blackboard/Class Participation (25 points): At the start of our class session, I will present you with a video to watch (along with the assigned readings) and a question prompt that you must answer in 1 paragraph. You will post your answer in the Blackboard discussion group.

Exams (75 points): You will have three take home essay exams in which you will be asked to apply the theories and concepts learned to specific questions. (3 essay exams x 25 points)

Course Schedule

Part I: Theories of Liberty

Week 1

Week 2

Part II: Theories of Justice

Week 3

Week 4

Part III: Critics of Modernity

Week 5

Week 6