The Age of Reason: Europe from the 17th to the Early 19th Centuries, Spring 2011

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Abstract:: This course asks students to consider the ways in which social theorists, institutional reformers, and political revolutionaries in the 17th through 19th centuries seized upon insights developed in the natural sciences and mathematics to change themselves and the society in which they lived. Students study trials, art, literature and music to understand developments in Europe and its colonies in these two centuries. Covers works by Newton, Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marx, and Darwin.

Subject:: Humanities, Social Sciences
Grade Level:: Post-secondary
Collection:: MIT OpenCourseWare

Foundations of Modern Social Theory

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Abstract:: This course provides an overview of major works of social thought from the beginning of the modern era through the 1920s. Attention is paid to social and intellectual contexts, conceptual frameworks and methods, and contributions to contemporary social analysis. Writers include Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Marx, Weber, and Durkheim.

Subject:: Social Sciences
Grade Level:: Post-secondary
Collection:: Open Yale Courses

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History of Economic Ideas

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Abstract:: The history of economic thought represents a wide diversity of theories within the discipline, but all economists address these three basic questions: what to produce, how to produce it, and for whom. The student will learn that without a clear sense of the discussions and debates that took place among economists of the past, the modern economist lacks a complete perspective. By examining the history of economic thought, the student will be able to categorize and classify thoughts and ideas and will begin to understand how to think like an economist. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Explain and analyze the development of economics as a discipline in various ancient cultures; Trace the development of European economic thought and analyze concepts in historical context; Compare and contrast Classical economic theories; Synthesize the elements of Neo-Classical and Keynesian approaches in the modern era; Evaluate the merits of alternative approaches to maximizing happiness. (Economics 301)

Subject:: Social Sciences
Grade Level:: Post-secondary
Collection:: Saylor Foundation

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Introduction to Philosophy

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Abstract:: This course introduces students to the major topics, problems, and methods of philosophy and surveys the writings of a number of major historical figures in the field. Several of the core areas of philosophy are explored, including metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy, ethics, and the philosophy of religion. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Identify and describe the major areas of philosophical inquiry, explain how those areas differ from and relate to one another, and place the views and arguments of major philosophical figures within those thematic categories; Use philosophical terminology correctly and consistently; Identify and describe the views of a number of major philosophers and articulate how these views are created in response to general philosophical problems or to the views of other philosophers; Explain the broad outlines of the history of philosophy as a framework that can be applied in more advanced courses; Identify strengths and weaknesses in the arguments philosophers have put forward for their views and formulate objections and counterarguments of your own invention; Apply critical thinking and reasoning skills in a wide range of career paths and courses of study. (Philosophy 101)

Subject:: Humanities
Grade Level:: Post-secondary
Collection:: Saylor Foundation

Introduction to Political Philosophy

(Complete Item Description)

Abstract:: This course is intended as an introduction to political philosophy as seen through an examination of some of the major texts and thinkers of the Western political tradition. Three broad themes that are central to understanding political life are focused upon: the polis experience (Plato, Aristotle), the sovereign state (Machiavelli, Hobbes), constitutional government (Locke), and democracy (Rousseau, Tocqueville). The way in which different political philosophies have given expression to various forms of political institutions and our ways of life are examined throughout the course.

Subject:: Social Sciences
Grade Level:: Post-secondary
Collection:: Open Yale Courses

Introduction to Political Thought, Spring 2004

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Abstract:: Subject examines major texts in the history of political thought and the questions they raise about the design of the political and social order. Students are required to critically engage with these texts and to write essays on such issues as whether government should be controlled by the many or by the expert few; whether a community should respect a diversity of religions and philosophical opinion; whether there are such things as human rights; why values like liberty and equality conflict, and whether these conflicts can be reconciled. This course examines major texts in the history of political thought and the questions they raise about the design of the political and social order. It considers the ways in which thinkers have responded to the particular political problems of their day, and the ways in which they contribute to a broader conversation about human goods and needs, justice, democracy, and the proper relationship of the individual to the state. One aim will be to understand the strengths and weaknesses of various regimes and philosophical approaches in order to gain a critical perspective on our own. Thinkers include Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, and Tocqueville.

Subject:: Social Sciences
Grade Level:: Post-secondary
Collection:: MIT OpenCourseWare

The Moral Foundations of Politics

(Complete Item Description)

Abstract:: This course explores main answers to the question, "When do governments deserve our allegiance?" It starts with a survey of major political theories of the EnlightenmentŃUtilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract traditionŃthrough classical formulations, historical context, and contemporary debates relating to politics today. It then turns to the rejection of Enlightenment political thinking. Lastly, it deals with the nature of, and justifications for, democratic politics, and their relations to Enlightenment and Anti-Enlightenment political thinking. Practical implications of these arguments are covered through discussion of a variety of concrete problems.

Subject:: Humanities, Social Sciences
Grade Level:: Post-secondary
Collection:: Open Yale Courses

Topics in Theory of Knowledge: A Priori Knowledge, Spring 2005

(Complete Item Description)

Abstract:: The course will explore the phenomenon of a priori knowledge. We'll consider some notable attempts to account for apriori knowledge in the history of philosophy (e.g., by Plato, Descartes, Hume, and Kant), some influential critiques of the notion; we will end by considering some contemporary approaches to the apriori.

Subject:: Humanities, Social Sciences
Grade Level:: Post-secondary
Collection:: MIT OpenCourseWare

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The Age of Reason: Europe from the 17th to the Early 19th Centuries, Spring 2011

Foundations of Modern Social Theory

History of Economic Ideas

Introduction to Philosophy

Introduction to Political Philosophy

Introduction to Political Thought, Spring 2004

The Moral Foundations of Politics

Topics in Theory of Knowledge: A Priori Knowledge, Spring 2005

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