Introduction to Western Political Thought

One of the major objectives of this course is to introduce the students to the key debates and ideas in Western political thought. It is hoped that familiarity with the ideas or concepts of some major western political thinkers will help the students to understand different perspectives and approaches to state, politics, government, sovereignty, citizenship and so on. It is also hoped that this course will enable the student to make sense of and interpret the major developments and key debates in the political debates and discussions in any contemporary society and polity. INTENDED AUDIENCE :UG and PG students of Humanities and Social Sciences, Sciences, and EngineeringPREREQUISITES : NoneINDUSTRIES SUPPORT :Not Applicable

Week 1:Introduction: General Outline and Method; Text and ContextWeek 2:Plato: Justice; Philosopher king; Communism; StateWeek 3:Aristotle: Politics, VirtueWeek 4:Aristotle: State; Citizenship & Machiavelli: VirtuWeek 5:Machiavelli: Religion and RepublicanismWeek 6:Hobbes: Human Nature; Political Obligation; SovereigntyWeek 7:Locke: Natural Rights; Limited government, DissentWeek 8:Rousseau: Social Contract; General WillWeek 9:Kant: Enlightenment; Morality, autonomy and freedomWeek 10:Hegel: Freedom; Rights; StateWeek 11:Marx: Historical Materialism; State; ClassWeek 12:Mill: Utilitarianism and on Liberty