HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

INR 289 HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT I

2019-2020 Academic Year, Fall Semester

Course Lecturer: Res. Asst. Göksu Uğurlu
E-mail: goksuugurlu@gmail.com

Thursdays, 9:30-12:15
Room: DZ14
Office Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays 13:30-17:00 (Please inform me
via e-mail, in advance)

Course Description
This course concentrates on the history of political theory, which will set the
background for International Relations students for their future studies on
international politics. The main objective of the course is to familiarize
students with major concepts of political thought and also to introduce basic
issues and perspectives on politics. This semester the course mainly focuses
on the social background of the political thought and changing themes in
political thinking along with the transformation of social structure.

Assignments
All students have to read the “must readings” before each class. Also,
“suggested readings” provide a comprehensive knowledge about the issue and
are highly recommended. For students who want to deepen their knowledge
on the issue, there are “further reading” advices. Attendance and class
participation will also be part of the grading process. There will be one mid-
term exam, one final exam and one homework assignment during the
semester.

Grading
Homework: (20%)
Mid-term exam: (30%)
Final exam: (50%)

Homework Writing Format

- Times New Roman, 12 pt
- 1,5 spacing
- 3000-4000 word limit
- Paragraphs should be justified and first lines should have 1 cm indentation.
- Article pages should have page numbers. Homework assignments should be printed
on both sides of the sheets.

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 - Students should write their names, surnames and ID numbers on the right corner of
the paper. There shouldn’t be a cover page. Students should not use cases and files,
stapling sheets would be enough.
- Deadline: 09.01.2020

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1
Introduction: Why do we study “Western” Political Thought?

Week 2
The City State and Political Thought Before Plato
Must Readings
(Sabine, 1947: 3-34) – Chapters 1 & 2
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2008: 28-64) – Chapter 2 (until “Plato:The Republic”)
Further Readings
(Yalçınkaya, 2012a); (Şenel, 1968: 1-162; 251-259); (Şenel, 1970: 1-377);
(Russell, 1972: 53-189); (Ağaoğulları, 2013: 9-179)

Week 3 – October 24th

No Class

Week 4 – October 31st

Plato
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 3-18) – Chapter 1
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2008: 64-82) – Chapter 2 (from “Plato: The Republic” to “Aristotle”);
(Sabine, 1947: 35-87) – Chapters 3 & 4
Further Readings
(Plato, 1955); (Plato, 2018); (Yalçınkaya, 2012b); (Şenel, 1968: 163-226);
(Şenel, 1970: 377-431); (Russell, 1972: 190-257); (Ağaoğulları, 2013: 181-
310)

Week 5 – November 7th

Aristotle
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 19-38) – Chapter 2
Suggested Readings

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(Wood, 2008: 82-98) – Chapter 2 (from “Aristotle” to the end of the
chapter); (Sabine, 1947: 88-122) – Chapters 5 & 6
Further Readings
(Aristotle, 1995); (Zabcı, 2012); (Şenel, 1968: 227-249); (Şenel, 1970:
431-469); (Russell, 1972: 258-320); (Ağaoğulları, 2013: 311-386)

Week 6 – November 14th

Fall of the City State, Rise of an Empire
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 39-49) – Chapter 3
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2008: 99-132) – Chapter 3 (until “Cicero”); (Sabine, 1947: 123-
158) – Chapters 7 & 8
Further Readings
(Türk, 2012); (Şenel, 1968: 261-270); (Şenel, 1970: 473-553); (Russell,
1972: 321-434); (Ağaoğulları, 2013: 387-436)

Week 7 – November 21st

Cicero, Seneca and the fathers of the Church
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 50-90) – Chapters 4 & 5
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2008: 132-163) – Chapter 3 (from “Cicero” to the end of the
chapter); (Sabine, 1947: 159-197) – Chapters 9 & 10
Further Readings
(Yılmaz, 2012); (Yalçınkaya, 2012c); (Ağaoğulları ve Köker, 2011: 9-168)

Week 9
Mid-term Exam

Week 9 – November 28th

Feudalism and the Medieval Political Theory
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 91-115) – Chapter 6
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2008: 164-204) – Chapter 4 (until “Thomas Aquinas”); (Sabine,
1947: 198-243) – Chapters 11 & 12
Further Readings
(Yalçınkaya, 2012d: 237-253); (Ağaoğulları ve Köker, 2011: 169-223)

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Week 10 – December 12th
From Divine Law to Natural Law
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 116-140) – Chapter 7
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2008: 204-218) – Chapter 4 (from “Thomas Aquinas” to “Marsilius of
Padua”); (Sabine, 1947: 244-286) – Chapters 13 & 14
Further Readings
(Yalçınkaya, 2012d: 254-262); (Ağaoğulları, 2012a: 263-276); (Ağaoğulları
ve Köker, 2011: 223-257); (Ağaoğulları ve Köker, 2008: 11-52)

Week 11 – December 19th

Supremacy of the “King”?
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 141-158) – Chapter 8
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2008: 218) – Chapter 4 (from “Marsilius of Padua” to the end of the
chapter); (Sabine, 1947: 287-328) – Chapters 15 & 16
Further Readings
(Ağaoğulları, 2012a: 276-288); (Ağaoğulları ve Köker, 2008: 52-90)

Week 12 – December 26th

The Renaissance City-State and Machiavelli
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 159-183) – Chapter 9
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2012: 33-55) – Chapter 2; (Sabine, 1947: 331-353) – Chapter 17
Further Readings
(Machiavelli, 2005); (Althusser, 2000); (Althusser, 1988); (Gramsci, 2014);
(Özmakas, 2019); (Ağaoğulları, 2012b); (Ağaoğulları ve Köker, 2008: 149-
233)

Week 13 – January 2nd

The Reformation
Must Readings
(Runkle, 1968: 184-204) – Chapter 10
Suggested Readings
(Wood, 2012: 57-84) – Chapter 3; (Sabine, 1947: 354-398) – Chapters 18
& 19
Further Readings

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 (Yalçınkaya, 2012e); (Ağaoğulları ve Köker, 2008: 91-148)

Week 14 – January 9th

Conclusion and Evaluation of the Course

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (2012a). “Dünyevi İktidara Doğru”, Ağaoğulları, Mehmet
Ali (Der.) Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler içinde, s. 263-
288.
Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (2012b). “Niccolo Machiavelli: Prensin İktidarından
Devlete”, Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (Der.) Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da
Siyasal Düşünceler içinde, s. 319-344.
Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (2012c). “Jean Bodin”, Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (Der.)
Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler içinde, s. 401-416.
Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (2013). Kent Devletinden İmparatorluğa, Ankara: İmge.
Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali ve Levent Köker (2008). Tanrı Devletinden Kral-Devlete,
Ankara: İmge.
Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali ve Levent Köker (2009). Kral-Devlet ya da Ölümlü Tanrı,
Ankara: İmge.
Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali ve Levent Köker (2011). İmparatorluktan Tanrı Devletine,
Ankara: İmge.
Akbulut, Ö. Örsan (2007). Küreselleşme, Ulus-Devlet ve Kamu Yönetimi, Ankara:
TODAİE.
Althusser, Louis (2000). Machiavelli and Us, London: Verso.
- Turkish translation: Althusser, Louis (2010). “Machiavelli ve Biz”,
Althusser, Louis (Yaz.) İki Filozof: Machiavelli – Feuerbach (çev. Alp
Tümertekin) içinde, s. 9-161.
Althusser, Louis (1988). “Machiavelli’s Solitude”, (translated by Ben Brewster),
Economy and Society, 17:4, pp. 468-479.
Aristotle (1995). Politics, (translated by Trevor J. Saunders, Richard Robinson and
Richard Kraut), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Turkish translation: Aristoteles (2014). Politika, (çev. Mete Tunçay),
İstanbul: Remzi Kitabevi.
Bodin, Jean (2009). Six Books of the Commonwealth, Kentucky: Sevfen Treasures
Publications.
Machiavelli, Niccolo (2005). The Prince, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Turkish translation: Machivelli, Niccolo (1999). Prens, İstanbul:
Anahtar Kitaplar.
Özmakas, Utku (2019). Prens: Machiavelli’nin Muazzam Muamması, İstanbul:
İletişim.

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Plato (1955). The Republic, (translated by H. D. P. Lee), London: Penguin.
- Turkish translation: Platon (2016). Devlet, (çev. Sabahattin Eyüboğlu
ve M. Ali Cimcoz), İstanbul: İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.
Plato (2018). Apology (The Death of Socrates), İstanbul: Karbon Kitaplar.
- Turkish translation: Plato (2012). Sokrates’in Savunması, (çev. Ari
Çokona), İstanbul: İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.
Runkle, Gerald (1968). A History of Western Political Theory, New York: The
Ronald Press Company.
Russell, Bertrand (1972). Batı Felsefesi Tarihi: Antikçağ, Ankara: Bilgi Basımevi.
Sabine, George (1947). A History of Political Theory, New York: Henry Holt and
Company.
Şenel, Alaeddin (1968). Eski Yunanda Siyasal Düşünüş, Ankara: Sevinç Matbaası.
Şenel, Alaeddin (1970). Eski Yunanda Eşitlik ve Eşitsizlik Üstüne, Ankara: AÜSBF
Yayınları.
Türk, Duygu (2012). “Hazla Görev Arasında Helenistik Düşünce”, Ağaoğulları,
Mehmet Ali (Der.) Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler
içinde, s. 153-164.
Wood, Ellen Meiksins (2008). Citizens to Lords, New York: Verso.
- Turkish translation: Wood, Ellen Meiksins (2017). Yurttaşlardan
Lordlara, (çev. Oya Köymen), İstanbul: Yordam.
Wood, Ellen Meiksins (2012). Liberty and Property, London: Verso.
- Turkish translation: Wood, Ellen Meiksins (2012). Özgürlük ve
Mülkiyet, (çev. Oya Köymen), İstanbul: Yordam.
Yalçınkaya, Ayhan (2012a). “Yunan Uygarlığı İçinde Polis ve Siyaset”, Ağaoğulları,
Mehmet Ali (Der.) Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler
içinde, s. 23-90.
Yalçınkaya, Ayhan (2012b). “Platon’un ‘Bilişi’”, Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (Der.)
Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler içinde, s. 91-125.
Yalçınkaya, Ayhan (2012c). “İlahi Siyaset”, Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (Der.)
Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler içinde, s. 197-228.
Yalçınkaya, Ayhan (2012d). “Orta Çağ ve Feodalite: Bitmeyen Tartışma ve Siyasal
Düşünce”, Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (Der.) Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da
Siyasal Düşünceler içinde, s. 237-262.
Yalçınkaya, Ayhan (2012e). “Reform ve Rönesans”, Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (Der.)
Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler içinde, s. 289-318.
Yılmaz, Zafer (2012). “Roma Siyasal Düşüncesi”, Ağaoğulları, Mehmet Ali (Der.)
Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler içinde, s. 164-195.
Zabcı, Filiz (2012). “Aristoteles: Yüce Bir Amaç Olarak Siyaset”, Ağaoğulları,
Mehmet Ali (Der.) Sokrates’ten Jakobenlere Batı’da Siyasal Düşünceler
içinde, s. 125-152.