This course examines the intellectual origins and analytical foundations of Western political thinking, from classical Greece through to the early modern period, focusing on selected thinkers from Thucydides to Machiavelli. The course blends normative and analytical thinking in reconstructing the political concepts at the core of some of the greatest texts in the Western political tradition. The aim of the course is to provide students with first-hand knowledge of the foundations of Western political thinking, including such normative concepts as rule, power, law, self-interest, the good society, the political regime, tyranny, justice, virtue and the good life.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. compare core ideas in the history of political thought over this period

2. explain key themes in the history of political thought over this period

3. interpret core texts and relate texts to their historical contexts

4. apply historical political thinking to contemporary political issues

5. argue with evidence about the intellectual and analytical foundations of political theory

Critical Review Paper (20%) of 1000 words (outcomes 1, 2)

Research Paper (40%) of 3000 words (outcomes 2, 3, 4)

Examination (30%) with three required questions (outcomes 2, 3 and 4)

Tutorial Participation (10%) (outcomes 4 and 5)

2 hours lecture and 1 hour tutorial each week. Students can also expect to spend 6-7 hours each week preparing for lectures, tutorials and assessment.

12 units of 1000-level POLS courses.

General interest in political argument and in the history of political ideas.

P J Steinberger, Editor. Readings in Classical Political Thought. Hackett Publishing 2000.

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