Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
12745:IR18‐DE102 Politics for Global Studies (RA) § 12746:IR-AS102 Introduction to Politics (RA) § 12747:RUIR-1106 Politics for Global Studies(RA) 2019 Spring Thu2 College Of International Relations FRENCH THOMAS W. 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

KOSHINKAN　KS306

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

This course uses the history of Western political thought to explore and introduce wider issues in politics such as the roles and responsibilities of political organizations, their leaders, and their subjects / members; as well as concepts such as democracy, communism, utilitarianism, and others; and how these have evolved over time. With classes covering the era from ancient Greece to the mid-20th century, the major ‘classic’ works of European political thought are examined. The course demonstrates historical, security, societal, and technological conditions influence the development of ideas and how these ideas then influence the conditions from which they originated. Usually Offered: Spring and Fall.

Keywords: Monarchy, republic, democracy, tyranny, oligarchy, human rights, communism, fascism, utilitarianism, anarchy, dictatorship, religion, freedom, legitimacy, nationalism.

Student Attainment Objectives

Primary Aims:
Students will deepen their understanding of major debates and issues in politics whilst simultaneously expanding their knowledge of the origins and development of modern western political thought.

Secondary Aims:
Students will further develop their skills of critical analysis by making sense of the issues through the various conceptual frameworks employed in the module. The teaching methods of the module are designed to develop cognitive, writing and presentation skills, in particular:

•Writing short reflection essays
•Participation in group discussions
• Note taking
• Engaging in structured debates

Recommended Preparatory Course

N/A


本科目の受講にあたっては、TOEFL（ITP)530点以上、TOEFL（iBT）71点以上およ
び同等以上の英語力が必要です。

In order to register for this course, students are required to have a
minimum TOEFL-ITP score of 530, TOEFL-iBT score of 71 or equivalent.

For Joint Degeree Students: Passing this class and RUIR-1806 ‘Modern World History’ fulfills the ‘Socio-historical’ Habit of Mind requirement.

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) Theme
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1

Introduction

Introduction
2

Plato

Forms, philosophers, Socrates, Ancient Greece
3

Aristotle

Slavery, classifcation, Empiricism
4

St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas

Fatalism, The fall of Rome, Medieval Europe, The power of religion
5

Machiavelli

The Renaissance, Fortuna, Virtu, Republics
6

Hobbes

Anarchy, the English Civil War, Absolutism
7

Locke

Property rights, the state of nature
8

Rousseau

The Enlightenment, the 'general will', direct democracy
9

Bentham and Kant

The Enlightenment, liberty, ‘perpetual peace’, utilitarianism, pleasure and pain

10

JS Mill

Rule Utilitarianism, Morality

11

Marx

Capitalism, Communism, Revolution
12

Nationalism

Forms of Nationalism, symbols of Nationalism, Nationalism and education
13

Fascism

Characteristics of Fascism, the History of Fascism, Fascism today
14

Assessment and Final Paper Submission

Test, collection of papers, evaluation
15

Review Class

Review

Class Format

Recommendations for Private Study

Reading the original works by the thinkers examined in the course in English or in translation is recommended.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written) 0

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)		 0

Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)		 100

Weekly class reflections and discussion contributions 50%

Bi-weekly extract exercises 25%

Final timed paper 25%

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）


Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

General works on the subject are numerous and should prove a good starting point for your out of class study.

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

There is no set textbook for the class. Materials will be given out in class and students will have to conduct their own additional research outside the classroom.

Reference Books

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
The Routledge Dictionary of Politics(2003) David Robertson Routledge ISBN-10: 0415323770, ISBN-13: 978-0415323772 3rd Revised edition

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Learning Management System （manaba+R）,Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

Other Comments

The first part of each class will centre on group / pair work in which students will discuss issues, documents and sources. The second part of each class will consist of a lecture by the instructor. This will sometimes be followed by individual work on extracts, documents or review questions.

Regarding class participation weekly attendance is required. Actively engage in class discussion and activities and do all reading.