POLITICS 109
Foundations of Western Politics and Law
Please note: this is archived course information from 2017 for POLITICS 109.
Description
How should society be governed? What is justice and how should it be implemented between individuals, groups and states? Why should we obey the law? What is the relationship between justice, order and power? These are all questions which have been defined for us by thinkers in a historical tradition and a succession of debates and conversations in which we are the latest participants.
In this course, we will discuss the relationship between individuals and the state, the meanings of justice, liberty and equality, the basis of democracy, the rights of women and the limits to political authority and rights of resistance. Thinkers studied include Plato, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Mill and Marx.
Availability 2017
Semester 2
Lecturer(s)
Lecturer(s) Associate Professor Katherine Smits
Reading/Texts
Coursebook of readings, available for purchase from the University Bookstore
Assessment
Coursework + exam
Points
POLITICS 109: 15 points
