IS 340 - Political Theory

Instructor: Maj. Ryan R. Holston
Location: Scott Shipp Hall 449
Date/Time: Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Credit Hours: 3

First, this course will introduce cadets to the fundamental questions raised in the study of Political Theory, or Political Philosophy, and the importance that these questions have been accorded for over two millennia of Western history. These are the questions - those related to “the good life” - that were once thought to be at the center of a Liberal Arts education. Cadets will examine the answers to these questions provided by some of the most renowned thinkers in the Western tradition and begin to formulate their own responses. Second, this introduction to the theoretical method will have the added benefit of helping to prepare cadets to ask rigorous qualitative questions. The hard work done in this class will thus help prepare cadets for critical reasoning, writing, and oral argument within Political Science, in other disciplines, and even outside of the classroom.