PLS 121 - Introductory Political Theory

3 credit hours - Three hours weekly; one term.
A survey that deals with political ideas and political problems such as political domination by ruling classes, the right to revolt, relation of the individual to state, and totalitarian and authoritarian systems. Emphasis on the writings of such political thinkers as Plato, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Marx, de Tocqueville, Nietzsche and Gandhi.

Prerequisite(s): Eligibility for ENG 101 /ENG 101A .

Location(s) Typically Offered: Online (OL)

Term(s) Typically Offered: Spring

Course Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Contrast early political theorists (Plato, Socrates) and understand religious political thought (St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas).
Examine key ideas in Machiavelli’s work.
Compare and contrast social contract theorists (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau) and democracy theorists (de Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill).
Differentiate between socialist thinkers (Marx) and free-market proponents (Adam Smith), while identifying key ideas from 20th-century “welfare state” thinkers (Keynes, Myrdal).