Political Theory: Ancient to Modern

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Dr. Omar Farouk (Assistant Professor of Political Science)
• Email: ofarouk@university.alkimi.ai
• Office: Lovell Hall 266
• Office Hours:
  • Monday & Thursday: 2:00–3:30 p.m. (In person, Lovell Hall 266)
  • Friday: 9:00–10:00 a.m. (Virtual via Zoom; link posted in Canvas)
  • Also available by appointment.

Course Description

Justice, authority, liberty, and the state in Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, and Marx. POSC 220 surveys foundational texts in Western political theory from classical Greek antiquity through the modern revolutionary era. Students examine how thinkers including Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, and Marx conceptualized justice, political obligation, sovereignty, human nature, and freedom. Through rigorous engagement with primary philosophical texts, the course interrogates enduring questions concerning the justification of state authority, the requirements of civic virtue, the tensions between liberty and equality, and the institutional dynamics of political order.

Prerequisites

POSC 101 or POSC 105.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of POSC 220, students will be able to:

1. Analyze Classical Foundations of Justice: Examine Platonic idealism and Aristotelian constitutionalism regarding the relationship between individual virtue, human flourishing, and political community.
2. Contrast Ancient Virtue with Modern Realism: Differentiate classical teleological political philosophy from Machiavelli's realistic appraisal of power, virtù, fortuna, and republican civic discord.
3. Critique Social Contract Theories: Compare how Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau deploy the state of nature to justify competing conceptions of political obligation, natural rights, and popular sovereignty.
4. Evaluate Modern Liberalism and Socialism: Assess John Stuart Mill's utilitarian defense of liberty and individuality alongside Karl Marx's materialist critique of bourgeois political economy and class exploitation.
5. Compose Textual Political Analysis: Write sustained, interpretive essays that reconstruct theoretical arguments from primary political texts, defend interpretive claims, and answer counter-arguments.

Required Course Materials & Approximate Costs

1. Michael L. Morgan, ed. Classics of Moral and Political Theory. 5th ed., Hackett Publishing, 2011. Approx. $45 print purchase.
2. Alkimi Political Theory Primary Source Excerpts and Commentary. Free digital access provided via Canvas.
3. Total estimated cost: $45.

Generative AI Policy (AI Level 1: AI Not Permitted for Graded Work)

In accordance with Alkimi University Academic Policies (Student Handbook §5.8), POSC 220 operates under AI Level 1.

• What is permitted: You may use generative AI tools to look up biographical timelines of political philosophers or review citation guidelines for Chicago/Turabian style references.
• What is prohibited: You may not use generative AI to write close textual analyses, compose thesis statements, draft paper paragraphs, or answer examination essay questions.
• Disclosure: All submitted essays must conclude with an academic integrity certification stating: 'I certify that this paper represents my own original political thought and writing without generative AI assistance.'

Grading Components and Weights

• Midterm Examination: 20% (In class, Thursday, October 8)
• Textual Analysis Paper 1: Ancient vs. Modern Virtue: 20% (Due Friday, September 25 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Political Theory Term Essay: Social Contract and Sovereignty: 25% (Due Friday, November 20 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Primary Text Reading Responses: 15% (Weekly close-reading reflections submitted in Canvas on Mondays at 11:59 p.m.; lowest score dropped)
• Seminar Deliberation & Textual Debate: 5% (Active, prepared contributions to seminar discussions and textual debates)
• Comprehensive Final Examination: 15% (Wednesday, December 16, 2026, 1:30–3:30 p.m.)

Grading Scale (Alkimi University Standard)

• A: 93–100% | A-: 90–92%
• B+: 87–89% | B: 83–86% | B-: 80–82%
• C+: 77–79% | C: 73–76% | C-: 70–72%
• D+: 67–69% | D: 60–66% | F: Below 60%
• Extra credit: No extra credit assignments are offered in POSC 220. Grades reflect dedicated scholarship on assigned essays, reading reflections, and examinations.

Course Schedule (Fall 2026)

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

Political theory seminar sessions in Lovell Hall 130 depend on active discussion and shared textual exegesis. Punctual, regular attendance is required. Students are allowed up to two unexcused absences without penalty; each subsequent unexcused absence results in a penalty of one-third of a letter grade. Missing more than five class sessions will result in failure of the course. Students who miss the first two class meetings without notifying the instructor may be dropped. Students may miss class for religious observance without penalty if they notify the instructor in writing within the first two weeks of the semester (by Wednesday, September 9, 2026). Absences for university-sponsored activities (athletics, performances, conferences) are excused with a letter from the sponsoring office at least one week in advance.

Late Work Policy

Textual analysis papers and the term essay lose one-third of a letter grade for each calendar day overdue and will not be accepted after four days past the deadline. Weekly reading reflections must be submitted on time to inform the seminar discussion.

Final Exam Policy

The final examination (Wednesday, December 16, 2026, 1:30–3:30 p.m.) is scheduled by the University Registrar and can't be moved without the Dean's written approval (Faculty Handbook §5.5). A student with three or more final exams on the same calendar day may reschedule one of them. Requests go to the instructor of the middle exam by the last day of classes. For this term, send the request by Wednesday, December 9, 2026 (Student Handbook §6.4).