The student will be able to:

1. Analyze historical development of political thought of: Plato and Aristotle, Augustine and Aquinas, Machiavelli and Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, Bentham and Mill, Hegel, Marx, and Gramsci.
2. Compare and contrast competing philosophical concepts of state of nature, human nature, natural law, natural rights, civil society, political society, and locate concepts in governmental structure, law, and society.
3. Analyze models of political justification, forms of the state, civil society, and political society, and their institutional manifestation in system of government.
4. Identify and analyze the various models of political justification of forms of the state and connect them to their philosophical roots.
5. Explore the philosophical basis of law and justice in society.
6. Analyze the influence of political philosophies on the historical development of various forms of civil society, political society, and the state.

1. Ancient/classical/medieval political philosophy: Plato and Aristotle
   1. Philosophy vs. politics
   2. The ideal city and concepts of justice
   3. Virtue politics and the best and worst regimes
2. Models of political justification: Augustine and Aquinas
   1. The City of God and the City of Man
   2. The virtuous man
   3. Augustine's best form of government
   4. Aquinas' purposes and aims of society and government
   5. Forms of government
   6. Eternal law and natural law
   7. Justice and civil disobedience
3. Modern political philosophy: models of political justification: Machiavelli and Hobbes
   1. Machiavelli's republics vs. principalities
   2. Use of political power and why Virtu is never virtue
   3. Hobbes concept of state of nature
   4. The social contract
   5. Concept of the leviathan and defense of monarchy
4. Models of political justification: Locke and Rousseau
   1. Locke's state of nature, natural law, natural rights, civil society, state
   2. The social contract
   3. Concept of the separation of powers
   4. The labor theory of value
   5. Concept of the common good
   6. Rousseau and the social contract
   7. Rousseau's state of nature, direct democracy, and freedom
   8. Concept of the general will
5. Models of political justification: Bentham and Mill
   1. Bentham's utilitarian concept of the state
   2. Hedonism, justice, and utility
   3. Critique of natural law and natural rights
   4. Critique of social contract theory and consent
   5. The role of government, civil disobedience
   6. Mills' concept of utilitarianism
   7. Justice as the basic moral and political objective
   8. The meaning of justice
   9. Mill's form of government
6. The Historicist theory of the state: Hegelian philosophy
   1. Hegel's metaphysics
   2. Hegel's dialectic
   3. Moral and political institutions
   4. Abstract right, morality, and ethical life
   5. The family, civil society, and the state
   6. Hegel's concept of democracy and constitutional monarchy
   7. Hegel's philosophy of right
7. The Historicist theory of the state: Marxian philosophy
   1. Marx's philosophy of history
   2. Marx's historical and dialectical materialism
   3. The concept of the state
   4. The concept of the labor theory of value
   5. The concept of alienation and freedom
8. Contemporary political philosophy: Antonio Gramsci's contribution to Marxist theory
   1. The concept of historical bloc in Gramsci
   2. Gramsci's refinement of superstructural elements in Marx
   3. The role of ideology and politics in Gramsci's theory
   4. Concept of hegemony and counter-hegemonic struggle
   5. Gramsci's concept of historical bloc
   6. The war of position and the war of maneuver

Not applicable.

Development of research paper topic and outline on selected philosopher's work or some aspects of that work utilizing the scientific method of analysis
Development of 20 page analytical research paper utilizing the scientific method of analysis
Intensive in-class participation in discussions, demonstrating through level of analysis a systematic understanding of philosophical works
Oral class presentation (PowerPoint) on selected philosophical works
Weekly written five page outline of the main themes of each philosophical work
Instructor meets in extra sessions with all seminar students in a series of individual and small group learning communities out-of-class to work together on students' research paper and oral presentation preparation

Formal weekly lectures
Intensive seminar style discussions led by student groups
Oral (PowerPoint) presentations by students
Small group meetings with instructor to design, develop, and organize topics and themes for class discussions

Ball and Dagger. Ideals and Ideologies: A Reader. 2019.

Anthology and/or college-level introduction to political theory or political philosophy textbook (example listed above).

Original works of philosophers on library reserve, for example:

Anzaldúa. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza.

Arendt. The Human Condition.

Aristotle. Politics.

Brown. In the Ruins of Neoliberalism or Manhood and Politics.

Butler. Gender Trouble.

Davis. Women, Race, and Class.

Du Bois. The Souls of Black Folk.

Federici. Revolution at Point Zero.

Gramsci. Prison Notebooks.

Marx. Selected Writings.

Plato. The Republic.

Rawls. A Theory of Justice.

Articles on philosophers on library reserve.

1. Weekly reading assignments, of 200-300 pages, and written notes on central themes and ideas in each philosophical work
2. Library research on assigned philosopher for oral presentation
3. Development of research paper topic, thesis, and outline, utilizing the scientific method of analysis