Global Arc

A study of the writings of some major political theorists from the 17th through the 19th centuries, including Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and J. S. Mill. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

A historical and analytic examination of conservative political theories. Topics include the classical and medieval roots of modern conservatism, the development of conservatism in Europe and America, fascism and the radical right, and the tensions between libertarianism and traditionalism in contemporary conservative thought. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

This course will examine traditions of political thought--mostly, but not only, on the Left--which challenge mainstream conceptions of liberal democracy and modern capitalist society. The main focus will be on Marxism, anarchism, feminism, religious radicalism, ecological thought, and critiques of alienation in everyday life. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between political and cultural criticism, and to the philosophical anthropologies underlying different theories as well as the mechanisms for social change they envisage. We also ask if liberal democratic thought can effectively respond to radical challenges.

A study of the intellectual foundations of the modern democratic state. Topics include the meaning and justification of democracy, the rationality of voting, political representation, property rights, civil disobedience, and education. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

An introduction to alternative theories of social justice and examination of the implications of those theories in areas of contemporary social and political controversy. Readings and lectures focus on utilitarian, libertarian, liberal egalitarian, communitarian, and feminist conceptions of what it means to live in a just society. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

Close study of a number of texts that have illuminated the connection between religiosity and politics, and, in particular, the role of religious language and ideas to establish, preserve, reform, and redeem republics. Special attention will be given to the religious dimensions of revolutionary and messianic politics, and to the role that religiosity has played in the development of contemporary social movements and in the moral and political resistance to totalitarian regimes. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

What, if any, norms of justice apply to the institutions and practice of world politics? Topics include "political realism" and skepticism about global morality; just wars and justice in warfare; ethics of humanitarian intervention; the nature and basis of human rights; world poverty and global distributive justice; and democracy and accountability in global institutions. Readings chosen from recent works in political philosophy. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

The development of American constitutionalism, considered historically as the product of legal, political, and intellectual currents and crises (e.g., the Founding, the Marshall and Taney eras, the slavery crises, the rise of corporate capitalism, the emergence of the modern state, the New Deal crisis, and new forms of rights and liberties). Topics include the growth of Supreme Court power, the court's relation to the states and the other federal branches, and the influence on constitutional understandings of economic developments, reform movements, wars, party competition, and legal and political thought. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

A study of the development of the United States Constitution, chiefly through close analysis of selected judicial decisions. One 90-minute lecture, one two-hour preceptorial.

A study of selected problems concerning civil liberties in contemporary America, with specific focus on privacy and on problems derived from living in a pluralistic society. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute class.