Leader: Dr. Trevor Shelley

Course Dates: July 5 - July 28

Course Time: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (AZ), 11:00 am - 2:00 pm (CST)

Cost: $125 (Graduate credit available by enrolling through ASU)

This course examines ancient and modern texts of political philosophy to engage numerous debates over the forms of political community. Questions and topics include--but are not limited to--the advantages and disadvantages of different political forms; the underlying motivations for, and dynamics of, various political bodies; the things that hold communities and peoples together; the reasons forms persist, metamorphose, or collapse; and the drive toward human unity or unification. The course is largely based on the work of Pierre Manent, from whom we will read, while also reading from classical authors such as Aristotle, Plutarch, and Machiavelli.

* Note that the dates for this course are unique due to ASU’s summer schedule, and that it is a hybrid course in which participants may choose to attend either in-person or online.