Political theory begins as a reflection on the problem of theory and practice. It studies concepts that highlight the movement and transition between ideas and practices in politics. It aims to show how the struggle for power is based on normative concepts and material interests. This course will work through the major thinkers and texts of the Western political canon. In attempting to understand the domain of the political from the standpoint of the theories which have defined it throughout history, the course will address: freedom, justice, power, contract, law, human nature, oppression, emancipation, among other ideas that have been mobilized in the context of politics. Key thinkers include: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, and Marx.