I.
Introduction to Political Theory
1. Definition and Scope
o What is Political Theory?
o Normative vs. Empirical Political Theory
o Importance of Political Theory
2. Key Concepts in Political Theory
o Power, Authority, and Legitimacy
o Freedom, Equality, and Justice
o Rights and Obligations
o Sovereignty and the State
3. Methodologies in Political Theory
o Historical Approach
o Analytical Approach
o Critical and Feminist Approaches
II. Classical Political Theories
1. Ancient Political Thought
o Plato: Ideal State, Justice, Philosopher-Kings
o Aristotle: Classification of Governments, Citizenship, Virtue Ethics
2. Medieval Political Thought
o Augustine of Hippo: City of God vs. City of Man
o Thomas Aquinas: Natural Law and Divine Law
3. Renaissance and Early Modern Political Thought
o Machiavelli: Realism, Power, and Leadership (The Prince)
o Hobbes: Social Contract and Sovereignty (Leviathan)
III. Modern Political Theories
1. The Social Contract Tradition
o John Locke: Natural Rights, Limited Government
o Jean-Jacques Rousseau: General Will, Popular Sovereignty
2. Liberalism
o Classical Liberalism (Locke, Mill)
o Modern Liberalism (Rawls' Theory of Justice)
3. Marxism
o Historical Materialism
o Critique of Capitalism
o Revolutionary Ideals
4. Utilitarianism
o Jeremy Bentham: Greatest Happiness Principle
o John Stuart Mill: Individual Liberty and Harm Principle
IV. Contemporary Political Theories
1. Critical Theory
o Frankfurt School: Power, Ideology, and Culture
o Habermas: Communicative Rationality
2. Postmodernism and Deconstruction
o Michel Foucault: Power and Knowledge
o Derrida: Deconstruction of Political Concepts
3. Feminist Political Theory
o Liberal Feminism (Equal Rights)
o Radical Feminism (Critique of Patriarchy)
o Intersectionality
4. Multiculturalism
o Charles Taylor: Politics of Recognition
o Will Kymlicka: Minority Rights and Multicultural Citizenship
5. Environmental Political Theory
o Eco-Marxism
o Deep Ecology and Political Ecology
V. Key Ideologies in Political Theory
1. Liberalism
o Individualism, Freedom, and Limited Government
2. Conservatism
o Tradition, Authority, and Gradual Change
3. Socialism
o Economic Equality and Collective Ownership
4. Anarchism
o Rejection of Authority and Hierarchy
5. Fascism
o Authoritarianism, Nationalism, and Totalitarianism
6. Communitarianism
o Community over Individualism
VI. Comparative Political Theories
1. Western vs. Non-Western Political Theories
o Confucianism: Ethics and Governance
o Islamic Political Thought: Sharia and the Ummah
o Gandhian Political Philosophy: Nonviolence and Swaraj
2. Global Political Theory
o Cosmopolitanism: Global Justice and Citizenship
o Post-Colonial Political Theory
VII. Political Theory and Democracy
1. Theories of Democracy
o Direct vs. Representative Democracy
o Deliberative Democracy (Habermas)
o Participatory Democracy
2. Challenges to Democracy
o Populism
o Globalization and Democratic Deficit
VIII. Justice and Equality in Political Theory
1. Theories of Justice
o Rawls: Justice as Fairness
o Nozick: Libertarian Justice
2. Equality and Distributive Justice
o Egalitarianism vs. Meritocracy
o Affirmative Action and Social Equity
IX. Political Theory in Practice
1. Ethics and Political Leadership
2. Application of Political Theories in Policy-Making
3. Relevance of Political Theories in Global Issues
o Climate Change
o International Relations
o Human Rights
X. Conclusion
1. Evolution of Political Theory
o From Classical to Contemporary Thought
o Interdisciplinary Influences
2. Future Directions in Political Theory
o Role of Technology and AI in Governance
o Global Political Challenges and Theory
