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Course Name: POL HC 5016 Classical Political Philosophy
Course Name: POL HC 5016 Classical Political Philosophy
About the Course:
About the Course:
Course objective:
Course objective:
This course goes back to Greek antiquity and familiarizes students with the manner in which the political questions were first posed. Machiavelli comes as an interlude inaugurating modern politics followed by Hobbes and Locke. This is a basic foundation course for students.
Course Outcome :
Course Outcome :
To interpret ideas underlying traditions in classical political philosophy
To analyze the debates and arguments of leading political philosophers belonging to different traditions of the period
To appraise the relevance of classical political philosophy in understanding contemporary politics
Course Plan: POL HC 5016 Classical Political Philosophy
I. Text and Interpretation (2 weeks)
I. Text and Interpretation (2 weeks)
Plato (2 weeks)
Plato (2 weeks)
Philosophy and Politics, Theory of Forms, Justice, Philosopher King/Queen, Communism Presentation theme: Critique of Democracy; Women and Guardianship, Censorship
Aristotle (2 weeks)
Aristotle (2 weeks)
Forms, Virtue, Citizenship, Justice, State and Household
Presentation themes: Classification of governments; man as zoon politikon
Machiavelli (2 weeks)
Machiavelli (2 weeks)
Virtu, Religion, Republicanism
Presentation themes: morality and statecraft; vice and virtue
Hobbes (2 weeks)
Hobbes (2 weeks)
Human nature, State of Nature, Social Contract, State
Presentation themes: State of nature; social contract; Leviathan; atomistic individuals
Locke (2 weeks)
Locke (2 weeks)
Laws of Nature, Natural Rights, Property
READING LIST
READING LIST
Text and Interpretation Essential Readings: T. Ball, (2004) ‘History and Interpretation’ in C. Kukathas and G. Gaus, (eds.) Handbook of Political Theory, London: Sage Publications Ltd. pp. 18-30.
B. Constant, (1833) ‘The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns’, in D. Boaz, (ed), (1997) The Libertarian Reader, New York: The Free Press.
Additional Readings:
J. Coleman, (2000) ‘Introduction’, in A History of Political Thought: From Ancient Greece to Early Christianity, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, pp. 1-20.
Q. Skinner, (2010) ‘Preface’, in The Foundations of Modern Political Thought Volume I, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press pp. ix-xv.
Plato: Essential Readings:
Plato: Essential Readings:
A. Skoble and T. Machan, (2007) Political Philosophy: Essential Selections. New Delhi: Pearson Education, pp. 9-32.
R. Kraut, (1996) ‘Introduction to the study of Plato’, in R. Kraut (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Plato. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-50.
C. Reeve, (2009) ‘Plato’, in D. Boucher and P. Kelly, (eds) Political Thinkers: From Socrates tothe Present, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 62-80
Aristotle Essential Readings:
Aristotle Essential Readings:
A. Skoble and T. Machan, (2007) Political Philosophy: Essential Selections. New Delhi: Pearson Education, pp. 53-64.
T. Burns, (2009) ‘Aristotle’, in D. Boucher, and P. Kelly, (eds) Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.81-99.
C. Taylor, (1995) ‘Politics’, in J. Barnes (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 232-258
Machiavelli Essential Readings:
Machiavelli Essential Readings:
A. Skoble and T. Machan, (2007) Political Philosophy: Essential Selections. New Delhi: Pearson Education, pp. 124-130
Q. Skinner, (2000) ‘The Adviser to Princes’, in Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 23-53
J. Femia, (2009) ‘Machiavelli’, in D. Boucher, and P. Kelly, (eds) Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present.Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 163-184
Hobbes Essential Readings:
Hobbes Essential Readings:
A. Skoble and T. Machan, (2007) Political Philosophy: Essential Selections. New Delhi: Pearson Education pp. 131-157.
D. Baumgold, (2009) ‘Hobbes’, in D. Boucher and P. Kelly (eds) Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present.Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 189-206.
C. Macpherson (1962) The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke. Oxford University Press, Ontario, pp. 17-29.
Locke Essential Readings:
Locke Essential Readings:
A. Skoble and T. Machan, (2007) Political Philosophy: Essential Selections. New Delhi: Pearson Education, pp. 181-209.
J. Waldron, (2009) ‘John Locke’, in D. Boucher and P. Kelly, (eds) Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present.Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 207-224
C. Macpherson, (1962) The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke. Oxford University Press, Ontario, pp. 194-214.
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