Fall/Winter Timetable

POL2026H1S L0101

Undergraduate Course Code: POL484H1S L0101

Topics in Political Thought I

Republicanism

Themes

The first part of the course will study classical, medieval, and early modern textual sources of republicanism, such as Aristotle, Cicero, Livy, Bartolus, Machiavelli, Milton, and Harrington, as well as various ideological opponents of classical republican thought such as Bodin and Hobbes. The second part of the course will investigate republican approaches in the recent theoretical literature concerning topics such as the theory of liberty, the theory of justice, and the design of public institutions.

Texts

Primary texts will include Aristotle, Politics; Cicero, On the Republic; Marsilius, Defender of Peace; Bartolus’ Commentaries on the Digest; Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy; Bodin, Six Books on the Republic; Hobbes, Leviathan; Harrington, The Commonwealth of Oceana. Secondary texts will include P. Pettit, Republicanism; Q.R.D. Skinner, Liberty Before Liberalism; Vision of Politics; Hobbes and Republican Liberty; J.G.A. Pocock, The Machiavellian Moment; E.H. Kantorowicz, The King’s Two Bodies

Format and Requirements

One two-hour seminar per week. Course requirements TBA.