8/24 Organization; Introduction to the Study of Political Philosophy; Ancient v Modern theory

8/25 & 30 The Origins of Political Theory: The Bible and the Beginning of Wisdom; Books of Genesis & Exodus

9/1& 9/6 The Greeks: Plato & Aristotle [Ancient Greek and Hellenistic] Plato's Cave

9/8 & 13 Romans and Roman Catholics: Augustine & Aquinas [Christianity and Medieval]

9/15 Midterm Exam on all readings and lectures

9/20 No Class

9/22 & 27 Modern Thought & the Enlightenment: Machiavelli

9/29 & 10/4 Social Contract Theory: Hobbes & Locke [Modern Philosophy]

10/11 & 18 The Rise of Liberalism: John Stuart Mill [Nineteenth Century Philosophy]

10/13 No Class Fall Break

10/20 & 25 The Counter-Enlightenment: The Utopian Vision and the Tragic Vision ; Rousseau, Hegel & Marx

10/27 Midterm Exam on all readings and lectures

11/1 No Class

11/3 & 8 Anti-Liberal Thought: Nietzsche [Nineteenth Century Philosophy]

11/10 Postmodernist “Thought” [Twentieth Century Philosophy]

11/15 & 17 The Biological Basis of Morality; James Wilson, The Moral Sense; Look at Schermer, “The Science of Good and Evil” & Steven Pinker, 2002, “The Blank Slate”; The Moral Sense Test  Also THE GREAT DISRUPTION by FRANCIS FUKUYAMA

11/22 Midterm Exam on all readings and lectures & “The Moral Sense”

11/29 Conclusion, Review; Grades; distribution of take-home exam

12/6 Final Exam due at the beginning of class.