Sovereignty and Politics: 17th Century Political Thought
Political Science · 3 hrs Lecture
Offered: Fall Or Winter
No prerequisites listed, you can take this course without prior coursework.
Where POL-3234 counts
Counts toward 2 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:
Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 50 of 208 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.
Description
This course explores seventeenth century political thought in the historical context of the dramatic transformations of the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, the English Civil Wars, and the rise of capitalism. Key thinkers to be examines include English Levellers, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, and Harrington. Special attention is given to highly contested conceptions of sovereignty, property, natural rights and liberties, and revolution.
Restrictions
Students may not hold credit for this course and POL-3200.
From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.