POL381H1S L0101

Topics in Political Theory

American Political Thought

Themes

This course is an introductory survey of the major traditions of American political thought. We have two main objectives: 1) to expose students to the diverse array of American political thinkers; 2) to better understand the stakes of contemporary American social issues by connecting them to the perennial theoretical debates in American history. This course proceeds in 3 parts. First, we will acquaint ourselves with the major debates between Federalists and Republicans at America’s founding. Part 2 of the course surveys the important traditions of political theory developed throughout the course of American history. In the final section of the course we will look at philosophical interventions into important 20th century American social issues like inequality, foreign policy, and race. In order to immerse ourselves in American cultural history, students will be assigned music, poetry, and short stories in addition to academic and scholarly texts.

Texts

Selections from The Federalist; Thomas Jefferson; Frederick Douglass; John Dewey; Elizabeth Cady Stanton; bell hooks; Milton Friedman; Henry Thoreau; Audre Lord; William Graham Sumner; Malcolm X; Martin Luther King Jr.; Gloria Anzaldua; Kurt Vonnegut; and Richard Posner.

Format and Requirements

Quiz (15%), research paper and proposal (35% and 5%); final examination (30%), and attendance and participation (15%).

Prerequisites

POL200Y1 or POL200Y5 or (POLC70H3 and POLC71H3)