John Holzwarth
Assistant Professor with Term
Tuesday and Friday 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm or by appointment
Academic Credentials
BA Political Science and English, Colgate University, 1993
PhD Politics, Princeton University, 2004
Teaching
Spring 2022
POLS 311: Pillars of Western Political Thought: Revolution and the Social Contract
TTh 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
What makes state authority legitimate? What, if anything, can warrant revolution as a means of political, social, or economic change? This course examines the origins of liberalism in early modern ideas of legitimacy, rights, and obligations, with primary emphasis on foundational thinkers from the crucial period between 1648 and 1848. Readings may include Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, and Martin Luther King Jr., among others.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
POLS 402 : Problems in Political Theory
Th 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Advanced analysis of a specific problem, theme, or concept intriguing to political theorists. Specific content varies. Themes have included revolution, utopia, the American founding, Nietzsche, identity and self-creation, and the philosophy of history.
Prerequisites: None
Requirements: Junior standing required. Open to sophomores only with
consent of instructor.