POLITICAL THEORY I

This course considers key questions at the foundation of political thought.  What is justice?  How do we justify the coercive power of states? Do we have an obligation to obey the government? Who should make and enforce the law?  What basic rights and liberties should governments protect? How should our economic system produce and divide wealth and material resources?  What are the claims of excluded or marginalized groups and how can these claims be addressed?   We explore these questions through the works of several classical and contemporary political thinkers.  A major goal of the course is to practice the skills needed to understand a political thinker’s arguments and to construct one’s own.

BEGINNING IN FALL 2025, BARNARD STUDENTS WISHING TO TAKE POLITICAL THEORY FOR INTRO CREDIT TOWARD THE MAJOR MUST TAKE POLS-BC1110. If Barnard students enroll in POLS-UN2101, the course will only count toward their major as elective credit.

Columbia College students who take POLS-BC1110 can only apply the course toward their major for elective credit.

Students may not get credit for more than one of the following courses:  POLS BC1110, POLS UN1101, or POLS-UN2101.