Chabot College
Fall 2010
Course Outline for Political Science 25
INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THEORY
Catalog Description:
25 - Introduction to Political Theory
3 units
An introduction to various theoretical approaches to politics, including selected political
thinkers from ancient times to the present, and the application of political theory to current
political realities. Strongly recommended: eligibility for English 1A and completion of
Political Science 1. 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon the completion of the course, the student should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
demonstrate a systematic understanding of various theoretical approaches to
politics;
explain selected aspects of political thought from ancient times to the present;
read, interpret, and evaluate arguments independently and critically;
define their own theoretical commitments in the political realm;
connect historical philosophical contributions to contemporary political thought;
analyze primary philosophical texts in political theory;
apply foundational political theory to contemporary governmental structures and
political culture;
distinguish various forms of governmental structures.
Course Content:
1.
Read, interpret, and analyze classic, America, modern, and post-modern political
theorists, which may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
a.
Socrates
b.
Plato
c.
Aristotle
d.
Augustine
e.
Aquinas
f.
Machiavelli
g.
Hobbes
h.
Locke
i.
Machiavelli
j.
Hobbes
k.
Rousseau
Chabot College
Course Outline for Political Science 25, Page 2
Fall 2010
2.
3.
4.
l.
Hume
m.
Marx
n.
John Stuart Mill
o.
Burke
p.
Bentham
q.
Rawls
r.
Charles Mills
s.
Isaiah Berlin
t.
Emma Goldman
u.
Wollstonecraft
v.
Hegel
w.
Gramsci
x.
Judith Butler
y.
Arendt
z.
Foucault
The moral foundations of social and political institutions
Concepts of equality, liberty, authority, justice, economic justice, and the social
contract
The political philosophy canon - adequacies and limitations
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lecture, including use of PowerPoint
Socratic method
Informal seminar style
Audio-visual materials
Student presentations (individual and group)
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1.
Typical assignments:
a.
Evaluate a primary theoretical political text utilizing argumentation, logic,
and evidence.
b.
Summarize and defend a theoretical perspective during an in-class debate
c.
Write a report on a political philosopher selected from a list of options,
providing bibliographic information, the philosophical problem(s) they
address, main tenets of their theory, justifications, and an
assessment/opinion of the theory.
2.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
a.
Quizzes
b.
Midterm examinations
c.
Peer evaluations
d.
Class participation
e.
Written assignments including critical essays and/or research papers
f.
Final examination
Chabot College
Course Outline for Political Science 25, Page 3
Fall 2010
Textbook(s) (Typical):
The Republic, Plato (G.R.F Ferrari and Tom Griffith), Cambridge University Press, 2000*
Communist Manifest, Marx and Engels (critical edition), W.W. Norton and Co., 1988*
On Liberty John Stuart Mill (critical edition), W.W. Norton and Co., 1975*
The Prince, Machiavelli, Hacket Publishing Co., 1995*
An Introduction to Political Philosophy, Jonathan Wolff, Oxford University Press, 2006*
Social and Political Philosophy, Andrea Veltman (Ed.), Oxford University Press, 2008
Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven Cahn, Oxford University Press, 2001*
Social and Political Philosophy: Classical Western Texts in Feminist and Multicultural
Perspective , James P. Sterba, Wadsworth Publishing, 2003.*
A Rulebook for Arguments, Anthony Weston, Hacket Press, 2008.
*Please note: Older texts are considered standard to the discipline of political theory.
Special Student Materials:
None.