Political Theory

Meg Mott | Dalrymple 29B | 802-451-7556

 
sample program
courses

tutorial guidelines

what plan looks like

"Political theory might be defined in general terms as a tradition of discourse concerned about the present being and well-being of collectivities. It is primarily a civic and secondarily an academic activity." Sheldon Wolin

At its most basic level, political theory considers the nature of power. Political theorists ask philosophical questions about politics, using both lived experience and imagined communities to look for answers. Over the ages, political theorists have been both the creators and destroyers of governments; all of this activity purely on the strength of their prose.

Political theory at Marlboro pays close attention to the constitutive effect of language. The words on the page and the grammar in our minds, define and declare the limits of our political imaginations. All political theory classes and tutorials focus on careful reading and authentic writing. Writing is key to the activity of theorizing. Besides considering the discourse of published theorists we'll use our papers to consider the well-being of our current collectivities.

In a recent article in PS:Political Science and Politics(July, 2005), Nicholas Tampio gives us some good advice on how to write political theory. Tampio draws on the three metamorphoses from Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra as metaphors for the three stages of a political theory essay. "First, become a camel, i.e., someone who carries the weight of inherited values and traditions. Then, transmogrify into a lion, i.e.., someone who resists established ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. Finally, become a child, i.e., someone who sees the world through fresh eyes" (392). Whether in a class essay or a plan paper, political theory asks you to fundamentally change yourself as a way of changing the world.

It is highly recommended that students take RLP in their sophomore or junior year.

Classes offered in the Fall of 2007:

SAMPLE PROGRAM OF STUDY

First Two Years

  • Writing Seminar
  • Study broadly! Any course from any discipline offers grist for the theoretical mill.
  • An introductory political theory class
  • An introductory political science class

Junior Year

  • If you haven't taken RLP yet, try and take it this year.
  • Two intermediate and/or advanced theory classes.
  • Writing Political Theory
  • Analyzing Social Change
  • Creative Non-Fiction

Senior Year

  • Get focused! Take a class that focuses on a specific text or a specific region
  • Writing Political Theory

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COURSES USUALLY OFFERED and likely to be offered in the next two years

 

Introductory

Introduction to Political Theory (Fall 2007) Mott
Anglo American Political Imagination (Fall 2006 Mott
Latin American Political Imagination (Spring 2007) Mott
The Body Politic (Spring 2006) Mott

Intermediate

American Jurisprudence (Fall 2005) Mott
Feminist Social & Political Thought (Spring 2007) Mott
Analyzing Social Change Rummel
Politics of Materiality (Fall 2006) Mott
Early Modern Political Thought (Spring 2006) Mott

Advanced

Writing Political Theory Mott
Contemporary Political & Social Thought (SSC 63) Levy
Introduction to Poststructural Theory (CDS 448) Birjepatil

 

COURSES OFFERED OCCASIONALLY or as needed:

 

Politics of Education Mott
Medieval Political Theology Mott

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