The Foundations of Modern Thought: Introduction to Intellectual
History' This is a course in the history of ideas that
introduces students to important shifts in the ways in which
history, society and politics have been thought about from the
Renaissance to the twentieth century. The course will cover key
figures in the history of political thought and philosophy,
including Machiavelli, Rousseau, Marx and Nietzsche, and will
address influential debates about such issues as the
relationship between politics and morality, the determinants of
historical change, the causes of social inequality, the origins
of Christianity, and the rise of capitalism. Attention
throughout will be focused on a careful scrutiny of primary
sources. By the end of the course, students will have deepened
their understanding of some of the critical issues that have
dominated modern history.