24 lectures (30 minutes/lecture)
Taught by: Dr. Jeremy Shearmur—

The aim of his course is not to take sides on any public issue, but rather to explain what is at stake, and to improve your own grasp of why those on all sides of many widely discussed public questions—be they liberals, socialists or libertarians, radical feminists or religious conservatives—think as they do. Dr. Shearmur’s work is thus not persuasion, but clarification. And he accomplishes it through an analysis that is more profound, cogent, philosophically informed, and comprehensive than anything you’re ever likely to glean from ordinary news coverage or day-to-day political commentary.

Encompassing the whole spectrum of the history and theory of politics from Socrates to Rawls, this is the most comprehensive and scholarly reference work available on its subject. The 350 entries, written by a team of 120 international specialists, are a balanced blend of full-length survey articles and shorter definitions. Key concepts in political thought are defined and analyzed, and ideologies are considered in relation both to historical context and to contemporary politics. All articles are cross-referenced and indexed.