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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Moral Foundations of Politics by Yale University

4.9
stars
5,817 ratings

About the Course

When do governments deserve our allegiance, and when should they be denied it? This course explores the main answers that have been given to this question in the modern West. We start with a survey of the major political theories of the Enlightenment: Utilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract tradition. In each case, we begin with a look at classical formulations, locating them in historical context, but then shift to the contemporary debates as they relate to politics today. Next, we turn to the rejection of Enlightenment political thinking, again exploring both classical and contemporary formulations. The last part of the course deals with the nature of, and justifications for, democratic politics, and their relations to Enlightenment and Anti-Enlightenment political thinking. In addition to exploring theoretical differences among the various authors discussed, considerable attention is devoted to the practical implications of their competing arguments. To this end, we discuss a variety of concrete problems, including debates about economic inequality, affirmative action and the distribution of health care, the limits of state power in the regulation of speech and religion, and difficulties raised by the emerging threat of global environmental decay....

Top reviews

MS

Sep 16, 2015

excellant work dont by Dr Ian Shapiro and staff on putting such a mind turning,thought provoking MOOC on a complex and ever controversial subject known as POLITICS!..I hope to see more from them soon

SS

Jul 1, 2020

The lectures are easy to understand, the reading materials informative. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and any beginner will be able to grasp the technicalities of Moral Politics after this Course.

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151 - 175 of 1,082 Reviews for Moral Foundations of Politics

By Rebecca M

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Jul 4, 2020

not at all what i expected, but was AWESOME , i now have realized that there is so much i thought i knew about well marx and others was not complete at all and in some ways wrong, I will be continuing my studies of this all on my own, also found out i have a philosophical mind

By Danielle B

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Sep 16, 2017

I really liked the course and felt that Professor Shapiro was very professional and also personal while explaining our coursework. I would recommend this class to anyone looking to learn more in depth politics, as well as some history into how politics came to be as they are now.

By Patrick W

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Jun 14, 2017

I loved this course. It was highly interesting, thorough, and relevant. Prof Shapiro takes abstruse philosophical content and boils it down to the bare bones. Also, the method of including the two students in the lectures made the online process more organic. Highly recommended!

By Kiran L

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Aug 19, 2019

Professor is nuanced and pays attention to all streams. Quizzes are not overly simple and test the understanding. I have immensely benefited from this course as it has provided me introduction to important readings about democracy and philosophies underlying government actions.

By Franco A

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Sep 21, 2017

very good overall view and the specific information with no to much of talking the argue the fundamentals of theories, in my perspective the only thing was missing was a view of morality of Aristotle and i think Thomas Aquinas is brightest figure to really argue about morality.

By Josh R

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Sep 6, 2017

This is a mind opening course. Professor Shapiro explains the concepts clearly and simply. I've never taken a philosophy course or knew much about the thinkers talked about in this course, but he did a great job of giving me a primer to the minds that shaped our modern society.

By mae b b

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Jul 23, 2020

The setup of having a professor and some students is very helpful and really encourages learning. It makes me feel that I am in a real classroom. Professor Shapiro explained all the concepts well, and even a student with no background in political science can understand fully.

By Tang L

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Sep 10, 2019

I was looking to learn more about international relations, before stumbling into this course. I think this course serves as a good foundation of moral philosophy and political science. I really like the discussion format of the videos as well, instead of just a lecture series.

By Jose A M B

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Aug 30, 2020

This course was an enlightening and delightful experience. Professor Shapiro explained the topics superbly and clearly, while the students provided a genuine feel to the course. I would definitely recommend this course to others as it has definitely been a wonderful journey.

By Guilherme M

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Sep 1, 2021

An amazing experience. If you are like me, an student of political and social science, regardless of your country of origin, you will like professor Shapiro's class. Also, I recommend his book, The Moral Foundations of Politics. It must be read in parallel with the course.

By Hrishikesh V K

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May 20, 2020

Its was excelent learning experience and professor is very knowledgeable and very excellent in teaching.

Also whole course desgin is so excellent with course content and interactive learning by involving two students in video.

I am very much satisfied and enjoyed lots.

Thanks

By Armanul K A

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Sep 11, 2024

I genuinely appreciate how the course connected classical theories to modern issues, making the material relevant and engaging at the same time. And the way it broke down complex theories and ideas in such a way that it was easy to understand, was great. Very insightful!

By Natalia N

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Oct 9, 2020

Professor Shapiro is an engaging and well-versed individual, and I enjoyed this course very much. He helps students deepen their understanding of current politics through analysing and explaining the Enlightenment theories, and he links them to current political issues.

By Syeda S

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Nov 29, 2018

This course was no doubt a great and full of knowledge course.Teaching method and especially the engaging method of professor Shiparo wad ausome.Before study of this course i had nothing knowledge about world politics especially interm of throries and their application.

By Jad D

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Aug 3, 2023

Professor Shapiro has to be one of the best professors ever, seriously.

He is very serious about his work, yet very organized and straight-forward. This also couldn't be made without Yale university and Coursera.

Such an amazing course, by an amazing university; Yale.

By Azara E N

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Nov 17, 2016

A fascinating and well taught course... Would recommend it to my friends. The course has helped in further expanding my sociopolitical horizon and my circle of experiences and references. I was able to discover some missing links that were previously puzzling to me.

By Joseph P W

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Nov 7, 2019

This course was as engaging as it was informative. The format of the lectures made them easy to understand, and easy to follow. As I neared the end of the course, it was much like nearing the end of a good book. I was excited to finish, but I didn't want it to end.

By Dr J N c

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Oct 8, 2019

This course is so powerful. I have learnt a lot of things to help in my political career as political philosopher.

I encourage every citizen to take this course so that we can have a good knowledge on politics and how these politicians behave when they are in power.

By Carlos A F

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Jan 9, 2017

Great course. Professor Shapiro's ability to digest philosophical arguments to then synthesize them in easier to comprehend terms is exceptional. I am extremely please with the content and the course dynamics that invites to develop a critical thinking perspective.

By Fabiana C

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Aug 11, 2019

What an amazing course: engaging, cohesive, well-structured and impeccably delivered by Professor Shapiro. The format of the course, in which Professor Shapiro interacts with two students, is superb. I learned, loved and highly recommend taking this course. Bravo!

By Amjad M

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Nov 25, 2018

I learned a lot. The course has very much widened my understanding of the subject. The way Sir Ian Shapiro elaborates is fascinating. I just loved! I'm thankful to Professor Shapiro, Coursera and also to DLSEI.PK who offered this course for free. A lot of love.

By Miceal O

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Aug 29, 2020

I appreciated that the course included the same lectures as we would have received sitting in a classroom in New Haven. The course was comprehensive and yet provided detailed information on each philosopher and their systems with contrasting critiques of each.

By Sacha A

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Sep 28, 2020

Great class, with a nice overview of the most important political philosophers of modern times. I especially appreciated the way the class presented the ups and downs of every theory, thus enabling each and every one of the students to form their own opinion.

By Alexandr N

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Mar 10, 2016

This course is really important to me because it is the first one I'm taking. So, the choice was just right as it made me literally addicted to Coursera. Thank a lot for this course to Coursera and Yale University! Prof. Shapiro is a great lecturer. Thumbs up

By saleem b

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Jul 11, 2022

Professor Shapiro has the ability to present concepts succinctly and in a manner that laymen can grasp them. I will definitely recommend this course to people who want to develop an understanding of political theory underpinning different political systems.