GOVT176C CM - The Social Contract

To convince citizens to accept policies that are hard to swallow, politicians often speak of a “social contract.” Focusing on the works of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, their sources of inspiration, emulators, and critics, we will study one of the most influential approaches to the problem of political obligation. We will consider arguments regarding the source of political authority, the origins, nature, and limits of the state, the concept of sovereignty, as well as the relationship between individual and collective rights, and the concept of the state of nature.

Offered: Occasionally

Credit: 1

Course Number: GOVT176C CM