POLS123 Political Ideologies
Annotation:
COURSE TYPE: LECTURE/ PRACTICAL COURSE
COURSE ANNOTATION AND AIMS:
The course presents to students the whole framework of political science. The focus falls on the works of political scientists starting from ancient to modern times, as well as on the major concepts in politics in general and the challenges before their modern application and understanding. The aim of the course is to build sound knowledge about the overall evolution of political science and political process. Particularly, priority will be given to the ability to differentiate the ideas and writings of various political scientists dating from ancient to modern times.
Lecturers:
Prof. Evgenii Dainov, PhD
Course Description:
Competencies:
PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION/FIELD OF THE COURSE:3.3 Political Science
SKILLS
After completing successfully this course the students will:
1) know:
• Key concepts, principles, documents and general familiarity with the framework of political science.
• Major fields of political thought.
• Main analytical tools in the political process.
2) are capable of:
• Analyzing and evaluating the sources, concepts and challenges to politics and political science in general.
Prerequisites:
N/A
Types:
Full-time Programmes
Types of Courses:
Lecture
Language of teaching:
English
Topics:
Bibliography:
Suggested Readings
Abraham Lincoln. The Gettysburg Address.
Amartya Sen. Identity and Violence.
Amartya Sen. Rationality and Freedom
Aristotle. Politics.
Barrack Obama. The Audacity of Hope (+ Zbigniew Bzezinski: The Hope of Audacity).
Bertrand Russell. History of Western Philosophy
Charles Taylor. Multiculturalism.
Charles Taylor. The Malaise of Modernity.
Edmund Burke. Reflections on the French Revolution
Ernest Gellner. Encounters with Nationalism.
Fareed Zakaria. The Future of Freedom.
Francis Fukuyama. On Trust.
Francis Fukuyama. The End of History and the Last Man.
George Schopflin et al. The Re-Unification of Europe
George Schopflin. Politics in Eastern Europe.
Henry Kissinger. Diplomacy
Isaiah Berlin. Four Essays on Liberty
J.S.Mill. On Liberty. On Representative Government.
Jard Diamond. Collapse. How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
John Locke. Two Treatises on Government.
Margaret Thatcher. Statecraft.
Norman Davies. Europe. A History.
Paul Johnson. History of the American People.
Paul Johnson. History of the English People.
Richard Rorty. Philosophy and Social Hope.
Robert Conquest. Reflections on a Ravaged Century.
Roger Scruton. A Political Philosophy.
Ronald Reagan. Diaries.
Samuel Huntington. Clash of Civilizations?
The Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan.
Vasil Garnizov et al. The Government and the People. Conflicts in Bulgarian Society.
Wojciech Kosteski et al. Transformations of Post-Communist States.
Zbigniew Bzezinski. Grand Failure: The Birth and Death of Communism in the Twentieth Century
Assessment:
PARTICIPATION IN SEMINAR - 25%
ESSAYS - 75%
During the semester, the students are required to submit at least three (3) essays on a given subject. Achieving an average grade of 4.50 or above, they could be skip the final exam.