Political Theory Outline
Course Outline
Introduction
This course on political
theory helps us to develop working answers to those more contentious questions
- what government is and how it is practiced relies on a whole host of
assumptions. Some of these must be clearly agreed upon at the outset. For
instance, answers to such questions as “What is justice? (Or freedom? Or
equality?)” “Who is a good citizen and why?” “What is a good state?” and “What
should my obligations be?” remain under continual debate, even as they
paradoxically determine much of the world we live in and share with others.
The course is
divided into four parts: The first examines the nature and scope of theory
building in Political Science – what politics is at its beginning, its purpose
and means; why has theory being deployed to approximate political actions and
inactions. The second section explores the problem of political rule and the
many difficulties involved in having or sharing political power by examining
major political ideas; the third section deals with popular political theories;
the fourth section considers outstanding political theorists and the ecology of
their postulations. Finally, section five deals with the Contemporary relevance
of political theory
Throughout, we
will use a variety of resources – philosophic, literary, cultural, cinematic,
and historical – to develop ways of engaging our political world, unraveling
those very assumptions we choose to live by.
Topics
1.
The
Nature and Scope of Political Theory
2.
Political Theory, Philosophy, Ideas and
Thought – An Interface
3.
Approaches
to the Study of Political Theory
4.
Major
Political Ideas
5.
Exposition
of some popular theories
6.
Outstanding
Political Theorists
7.
The
Contemporary relevance of Political Theory
Some reading
Texts
Biereenu- Nnabugwu (2003)
Political Theory – An Introductory Framework, Enugu:
Qunintagon
Publishers
Easton, D. (1973) “The Decline of
Modern Political Theory” in J. Gould and V.V.
Thursby, eds,
Contemporary Political Thought, Issues in Scope, Value and
Direction New
York Holt, Reinehart and Winston.
Forsyth M. and Keens-Soper, M.
(1992) The Political Classics: A Guide to essential
Texts from Plato
to Rousseau, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Frohock, F.M (1967) The Nature of
Political Inquiry, Homewood: The Dorsey Press
Gamble, A. (1981) An Introduction
to Modern Social and Political Thought. London:
Macmillan.
Johart, J.C. (1987) Contemporary
Political Theory, New Delhi: Steeling Publishers.
Jones, W.T. (1075) Masters of
Political Thought Machiavelli to Bentham, London:
Harrap.
Kirilenko, G and Korshunova
(1985) What is Philosophy? Moscow: Progress
Publishers
Kolawole, Dipo (1997) Readings in
Politics, Ibadan:Dekaal.
Lenin (1978) Marx-Engels-Marxism,
Peking : Foreign Language Press
Mimiko (1995) Crises and
Contradictions in Nigeria’s Democratisation Programme.
1986-1993,
Akure; Stebak Printers.
Rodee, C.C. et al (1983)
Introduction to Political Science. New York: McGraw-Hill
Books.
Sabine, G.H. and T.I. Thomson
(1973) A History of Political Theory, Calcurta:
Oxford and IBH
Publishing.
Varma, S.P. (1975) Modern
Political Theory; New Delhi; Vikas Publishing House.
Comments
Post a Comment