Political theory engages with the "big questions" of political life. Political theorists explore the multiple meanings of--and tensions between--fundamental political concepts, such as liberty and equality, right and responsibility, power and justice, and ask how these concepts are, or are not, embodied in various political orders. While circumstances differ widely among Western and non-Western, modern and ancient, advanced and developing polities, the concepts of political theory raise perennial questions and problems that are fascinating to investigate, and that, in one form or another, all peoples have struggled with.

In the DU Political Science department, course offerings reflect a spectrum of approaches to political theory. Some courses focus on close readings of classic political theory texts, by authors such as Aristotle, Plato, Confucius, Aquinas, Hobbes, Locke, Tocqueville, Mill, Marx, Rawls, Arendt, and Nozick, who develop and defend comprehensive visions of proper political order.  Other courses focus on a particular theme grounded in empirical detail, such as the struggle for specific and universal forms of political identity in a culturally complex world, or the justice and efficacy of alternative economic orders.  All majors in our department are exposed to at least one political theory course, and students with a strong interest can indulge it through explorations across diverse topics.

Courses include:

• Justice & the Classical Political Community
• The Rise of Modern Political Individualism
• Contemporary Political Thought
• American Political Thought
• Consciousness & Political Thought