This course includes:

• Four 1-hour video lectures*
• Extra reading material related to the course (optional)
• Unlimited access to the course

As we watch the fall campaign unfold, after years of watching such campaigns in the U.S. and other modern countries, we might wonder what kind of curse Aristotle was uttering when he claimed that “all men are political animals.” Can a few great political thinkers help us understand our present confusion? We’ll study the classical political tradition, which greatly influenced the Church, before turning to a few modern political thinkers, to see the differences between the two views that have shaped our understanding of politics. All along, we’ll ask whether and how politics is central to a good human life, and we’ll try to discern the “what is” or basic philosophical realities of politics. We may even get a glimpse of how politics, properly understood, can aim at truth, beauty and goodness.

There is no required reading for the course or a course book. There will be recommended relevant readings given as the course progresses.