| Course Description | This course is designed to help undergraduate students in Political Science and International Relations understand the fundamental issues addressed in the history of Western political thought between the 5th century BC and the 16th century AD, as well as the different approaches to these issues. The works of thinkers who have made significant contributions to the history of Western political thought will be examined, and the political thought systems that emerged in the Hellenistic period, the Roman period, the Middle Ages, and the pre-modern period will be discussed, taking into account the historical conditions of the periods mentioned. Throughout the course, the origins, forms of inquiry, and theoretical systems of a series of issues that form the basis of political thought today (justice, the nature of the state, governance, the relationship between the ruler and the ruled, law and legislation, religion, power, etc.) will be explained in a multifaceted manner. In this way, students will be able to grasp the inseparable relationship between politics, ethics, and law. Following the Introduction section, which defines the relationship between political thought and real politics, the History of Political Thought I course consists of roughly four sections. The first section will cover the Hellenistic period of Antiquity, considered the earliest period in which political philosophy emerged. The political thought movements (Sophists, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) and systems of thought that emerged under the influence of the `democratic? form of government of the city-state of Athens, one of the autonomous structures known as city-states or polis, will be comprehensively examined. The second section will examine political thought systems during the Roman Republic. The ideas of thinkers such as Cicero, Polybius, and Seneca on the relationship between state, law, republic, and government will be explored, taking into account the unique conditions of Rome. The third section, which covers the history of Western political thought in the Middle Ages, focuses on the relationship between religion and politics. This section will focus particularly on the ideas of Paul, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas. The fourth section, which can also be defined as the ?secularization of politics, will examine the transition from pre-modern to modern political thought through the political ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli. The final section, which serves as a conclusion, will explain the emergence of modern political thought after Machiavelli by providing examples from the views of different political movements on ?state and sovereignty.? The aim is to establish a bridge between pre-modern and modern political thought. |
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| Course Contents |
| WEEK |
TOPICS |
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1st Week |
Introduction to the Course and Course Syllabus |
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2nd Week |
Police and Democracy |
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3rd Week |
Natural Philosophers, Sophists, and Socrates |
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4th Week |
Plato-Justice as the Point of Convergence Between Ethics and Politics |
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5th Week |
Aristotle Politics for Justice |
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6th Week |
After the Polis From Epicurus to Polybius |
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7th Week |
Midterm Exam |
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8th Week |
Cicero, Seneca, and the New Face of Stoicism |
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9th Week |
St. Paul, St. Augustine, and the City of God |
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10th Week |
Church and State: The Search for Power, Tyranny, and Balance |
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11th Week |
The Search for a New Balance Between Church and State-Dante, William of Ockham, and Marsilius of Padua |
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12th Week |
Luther, Münzer, and Calvin |
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13th Week |
Machiavelli Founder of Modern Politics |
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14th Week |
Pre-Modern Era: Utopians, La Botie, and Monarchomachs |
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