Back in 2005, Joe Carter invited readers to submit their recommended reading lists for a “do it yourself MA” in their fields. I sent him my list for a DIY master’s in political theory, and he was good enough to post it. Recently, Justin Taylor of Between Two Worlds at The Gospel Coalition asked me to update it; the revised version went live this morning.
Looking forward to hearing what my fellow Hang Togetherites think! What would you include that I missed?
Very nice list. I’m especially glad you included Montesquieu, Shakespeare, and Aquinas. Montesquieu is too often overlooked or only addressed for his adding judicial to the separation of powers formula. But there is a lot more there, especially in attempting to combine principle and prudent flexibility in politics. Shakespeare is an excellent (and entertaining!) political thinker. Glad you see usefulness in literature for understanding political things. I’d add Merchant of Venice, Othello, and Henry V to the Roman plays. Finally, I’m glad you see Aquinas as worthy of study. I’ve studied with many Roman Catholics in political philosophy and found him and they very helpful. Thanks for the list.
Yes, I worked in Shakespeare as an easy way to get caught up on pre-Christian Rome, but in fact you could do a whole list just on his plays as political reflections. I once taught an adult Sunday School class called Moral and Spiritual Themes in Shakespeare. It was just half a dozen of us, but it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had teaching a class!