Texts and Contexts: Old Worlds and New
Institution: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York Department: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Course level: Undergraduate course
Format: Seminar
Description: This course introduces students to major thinkers, from the Renaissance to the French Revolution, with a focus on their political philosophies. Thinkers include De Pizan, More, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Hobbes, Descartes, Astell, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Wollstonecraft. The overall purpose of the course is to help students to develop both political and philosophical understanding through close reading of the assigned texts, class discussion, and careful writing.