HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT I

POLI209

Course Code: POLI209
Semester: Third Term (Fall)
Theory+Practice: 3 + 0
ECTS: 6

Course Type

Compulsory Course

Course Level

Bachelor's Degree

Year of Study

Semester

Third Term (Fall)

ECTS

Name of Lecturer(s)

Assistant Professor Aykut Örküp

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

will understand the historical roots of major issues and debates in political science and their relevance to the contemporary world,
will acquire introductory knowledge of the works of influential political thinkers,
will gain knowledge of the historical and intellectual contexts of the periods covered during the semester,
will develop their ability to critically analyze and understand the philosophical roots of modern political phenomena.

Mode of Delivery

Face to face

Prerequisites

Recommended Optional Programme Components

No recommended optional programme components.

Course Description

This course is the first part of the study of the history of political thought. It is designed to critically examine key thinkers and seminal texts of modern political thought from the 5th century BC to the 16th century AD. The course will provide an overview of the unprecedented social, economic and political transformations during the Hellenistic, Roman and Medieval periods. Throughout the course, the historical roots of political issues that have shaped the foundations of political thought will also be covered. By focusing on the most influential thinkers in different periods, students will engage with the major themes of political thought, including the state, justice, law, democracy, authority, religion and so on. Students will have the opportunity to compare the main differences between classical and medieval political thought and modern political thought.

Course Contents

WEEK	TOPICS
1^st Week	Introduction to the Course
2^nd Week	Ancient Greek Political Thought I: The Birth of Polis and Democracy (Cole and Symes, Chapter 3)
3^rd Week	Ancient Greek Political Thought II: The Sophists and Socrates (Nelson Chapter 1)
4^th Week	Ancient Greek Political Thought III: Plato (Nelson Chapter 2)
5^th Week	Ancient Greek Political Thought IV: Aristotle (Nelson Chapter 3)
6^th Week	From Greek to Roman Political Thought: Cynicism, Epicureanism, Stoicism (Nelson Chapter 4)
7^th Week	Midterm
8^th Week	Roman Political Thought: Polybius and Cicero (Nelson Chapter 4)
9^th Week	Medieval Political Thought I: Saint Augustine (Nelson Chapter 5)
10^th Week	Medieval Political Thought II: Thomas Aquinas (Nelson Chapter 6)
11^th Week	Medieval Political Thought III: Dante and Marsilius of Padua (Boucher Chapter 8)
12^th Week	The Reformation: Luther, Calvin, and Müntzer
13^th Week	Transition to Modern Political Thought: Niccolo Machiavelli (Nelson Chapter 7)
14^th Week	Wrap-up and conclusion session

Recommended or Required Reading

Boucher D and Kelly P (eds) (2005) Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cole J and Symes C (2014) Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 18th edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Nelson BR (2015) Western Political Thought, From Socrates to the Age of Ideology. Second Edition, Illinois: Waveland Press.
Recommended Reading
Ağaoğulları M (ed) (2015) Sokrates?ten Jakobenlere Batı?da Siyasal Düşünceler. İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture
Other

Assessment Methods and Criteria

	Quantity	Percentage (%)
Mid-term	1	40
Total(%)		40
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%)		40
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%)		60
Total(%)		100

ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload

Activities	Quantity	Duration (Hour)	Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam	1	1.5	1.5
Preparation for Quiz	0	0	0
Individual or group work	14	4	56
Preparation for Final exam	1	45	45
Course hours	14	3	42
Preparation for Midterm exam	1	35	35
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam	1	1.5	1.5
Homework
Total Work Load			181
Total Work Load / 30 (h)			6.03
ECTS Credit of the Course			6

Language of Instruction

English

Work Placement(s)

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

	LO1	LO2	LO3	LO4
K1
K2
K3
K4				X
K5	X	X	X
K6
K7
K8	X		X
K9
K10
K11	X	X	X
K12
K13