History and Political Thought

The history of ancient Greece and Rome from the time of Homer to the fall of the Roman Empire will be examined in this course with particular emphasis on Greek and Roman politics, socio-economic life and structures, classical culture and philosophy, and the rise of Christianity. Prerequisite: HST 201 or HST 202 or CHST 201 or CHST 202.

POL 321: Political Thought I: Ancient to Early Modern -This course will analyze the nuances and trace the development of Western political thought from classical Greece to 17th century northern Europe with attention given to the questions facing every generation concerning the nature of political association and the good society. Students will become familiar with each major political thinker, the context in which they wrote, and influence upon the history of ideas.

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POL 322: Political Thought II: The Enlightenment - 

This course will analyze the nuances and trace the development of Western political thought from the early Enlightenment (17th century) to the present with attention given to the questions facing every generation concerning the nature of political association and the good society. Students will become familiar with each major political thinker, the context in which they wrote, and their influence upon the history of ideas.

This course will study the fundamentals of the Latin language including morphology, syntax, and vocabulary for reading simple passages of Latin prose and poetry.

The reception of classical antiquity depends on both the stories the ancients told themselves, as well as their interpretation and reinscription in subsequent times and places. This course traces the debt moderns owe to the earliest recorded stories that shaped civilizations, both to appreciate the stories in their own historical context as well as consider the responses (both those that identify with antiquity and those that assume its alienation) of succeeding eras, culminating in critical consideration of contemporary cultural evocation of the classical tradition. Prerequisite: CHST 201 or CHST 202 or HST 201.

This introductory course into the lands, peoples, and cultures of the Middle East from antiquity to modern times, will include the role of religion in shaping social and political institutions, and the influence of Islamic thought on the Arab world and conflicts in the contemporary Middle East. Offered alternate years.