ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´

Instructor: Meena Krishnamurthy

This class is an introduction to the history of political philosophy. We will survey the ideas of thinkers who argue for radical political change. We will read work by Abolitionists, Suffragists, Anti-colonialists, and Civil Rights Activists. We focus on these thinkers because, for the most part, they have historically been underexamined or completely ignored by philosophers and hence are ripe for the attention of curious minds! We will also consider the related question of canon construction: what gets included in, or excluded from, the political philosophy canon, and why? Through close reading, structured writing, and in-class discussion, we will practice the skills at the heart of philosophical inquiry: analyzing arguments, applying them to real-world cases, and thinking critically and collaboratively about what’s at stake.