Except where marked, all readings are either Open Access or available to you online via Hunter College Libraries. I will hand out physical copies in class of those marked with an asterisk (*). 

Week 1 (w/c August 31st): Introduction 

• *Ellen Wood, “The Social History of Political Theory” 

Week 2 (w/c September 7th): Plato 

Note: No class on Monday 

• Plato, Apology https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1656 

Week 3 (w/c September 14th): Plato 

• Plato, The Republic (excerpts) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/150 

Week 4 (w/c September 21st): Aristotle 

Note: No class on Monday 

• Aristotle, Politics (excerpts) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6762 

Week 5 (w/c September 28th): Thomas Hobbes  

• Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (excerpts) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3207 

• Piotr Kropotkin, Mutual Aid (excerpt) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4341 

Week 6 (w/c October 5th): John Locke 

• John Locke, Second Treatise (excerpts) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7370 

Week 7 (w/c October 12th): Jean-Jacques Rousseau 

Note: We meet on Tuesday instead of Monday; Wednesday class is scheduled as usual. 

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Second Discourse (excerpt) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46333 

Week 8 (w/c October 19th): In-class Essay 1 

The first essay will take place in class on Wednesday. On Monday, we will discuss techniques for success in the essay. 

Week 9 (w/c October 26th): Karl Marx  

• Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (excerpts) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61 

• Karl Marx, “Estranged Labor” https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/labour.htm 

Week 10 (w/c November 2nd): Frantz Fanon 

• Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (excerpts) https://cuny-hc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_HC/odj4i3/alma9994496317406133 

• Note: I will also share physical copies of the relevant excerpts of this reading in class, since there are a limited number of eBooks available. 

Week 11 (w/c November 9th): John Rawls 

• *John Rawls, Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (excerpts) 

• Video: “What Would a Fair Society Look Like?” https://aeon.co/videos/to-build-a-fair-society-we-must-first-be-able-to-envision-it-john-rawls-can-help 

Week 12 (w/c November 16th): Charles Mills & Carole Pateman 

• *Carole Pateman, The Sexual Contract (excerpts) 

• Charles Mills, The Racial Contract (excerpts) https://cuny-hc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_HC/odj4i3/alma9994504150506133 

Week 13 (w/c November 23rd): In-class Essay 2 

The second essay will take place in class on Monday. Note: No class on Wednesday. 

Week 14 (w/c November 30th): G.A. Cohen & Iris Marion Young 

• G. A. Cohen, “If You’re an Egalitarian, How Come You’re So Rich?” https://cuny-hc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_HC/1j10gts/cdi_jstor_primary_25115633 

• Iris Marion Young, “Structure as the Subject of Justice” https://cuny-hc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_HC/odj4i3/alma9994364880906133 

Week 15 (w/c December 7th): Concluding discussions 

• Katrina Forrester, “The Future of Political Philosophy” https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/katrina-forrester-future-political-philosophy/ 

• Andrew Stewart, “The Roles of the Political Philosopher”  https://www.thephilosopher1923.org/post/the-roles-of-the-political-philosopher 

• Timothy Aylsworth & Clinton Castro, “Should I Use ChatGPT to Write My Papers?”  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-024-00809-w 

Week 16 (w/c December 14th) 

Monday will be dedicated to either preparing for the final exam or working on your final paper; I will be available to meet with anyone who wants to discuss their ideas and receive feedback. 

Note: No class on Wednesday.