This course is an introduction to political theory intended to be useful to students planning on further study and professional work in the field of public policy. Public policy debates are about who gets what material benefits and how we can most effectively pursue given goals, but the premise of this course is that normative ideas like equality, fairness, liberty, and community also play an important role in shaping individuals' policy preferences and in the overall course of policy debates. If this premise holds, studying political theory can help us better understand the real world policy debates that you are involved in and will be involved in going forward. Beyond being a more informed observer this class aims to help you use your knowledge of normative ideas to do what Adam Swift and Stuart White (in our session 1.1 reading) call "democratic underlabor," making a contribution to real contemporary policy debates by making your own normative arguments. In terms of format, this is a collaborative seminar, which means that the instructor, the Teaching Assistants, and all the students together build up an understanding of the topics and texts as a collective project over the course of the quarter. We'll do this both in our in-class conversations and through short- and long-form written work over the course of the quarter. No experience with political theory is required or assumed, and students will learn the skills of how to do political theory and how to incorporate it into policy work as part of the course. The design of this course is meant to introduce students to the skills of participating effectively in a seminar environment: public speaking, group work, guiding discussion, and presenting complex materials.
4 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
This course is an introduction to political theory intended to be useful to students planning on further study and professional work in the field of public policy. Public policy debates are about who gets what material benefits and how we can most effectively pursue given goals, but the premise of this course is that normative ideas like equality, fairness, liberty, and community also play an important role in shaping individuals' policy preferences and in the overall course of policy debates. If this premise holds, studying political theory can help us better understand the real world policy debates that you are involved in and will be involved in going forward. Beyond being a more informed observer this class aims to help you use your knowledge of normative ideas to do what Adam Swift and Stuart White (in our session 1.1 reading) call "democratic underlabor," making a contribution to real contemporary policy debates by making your own normative arguments. In terms of format, this is a collaborative seminar, which means that the instructor, the Teaching Assistants, and all the students together build up an understanding of the topics and texts as a collective project over the course of the quarter. We'll do this both in our in-class conversations and through short- and long-form written work over the course of the quarter. No experience with political theory is required or assumed, and students will learn the skills of how to do political theory and how to incorporate it into policy work as part of the course. The design of this course is meant to introduce students to the skills of participating effectively in a seminar environment: public speaking, group work, guiding discussion, and presenting complex materials.
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.