Observe Dr. Gianna Englert, a 2021 Golden Mustang Award winner, instruct the 15-30 students enrolled in her PLSC3361: Modern Political Thought class. This undergraduate class session will focus on Edmund Burke's arguments against the French Revolution, with a mix of introductory lecture and student discussion. To learn more about this course, please see the description below. Note: only one person may register to observe this class session. You will receive the classroom location after registering.

Course description: This course will examine readings and topics in modern political thought from the 16th through the 19th centuries. We will focus on one major theme: arguments for and against the concept of individual rights. Which rights do we, as human beings, have? How can those rights best be defended? Do rights serve their intended purpose – to protect us from both government power and from each other? Do they actually protect freedom and enforce equality? Does the language of rights include marginalized groups and minorities, or is fundamentally exclusive? To address these questions, we will engage in the careful study of texts in the history of Western political thought, along with select 20th-century commentaries on those texts. We will consider how individual thinkers approached the question of rights, and how their approaches build upon or relate to one another. We will also look at critics of the notion of rights, both Left and Right. Our goal in this class is to evaluate political arguments, and we will ask whether these texts from the past can help us think about the present. Students will develop skills in constructing and presenting written arguments in papers and essay exams.