College Papers on Strauss and Cropsey History of Political Philosophy

College Papers on Strauss and Cropsey History of Political PhilosophyIt is often asked whether anyone who reads college papers on Strauss and Cropsey History of Political Philosophy will have any problems with being assigned to classes like Analytical Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Modern Philosophical Theory, Classical and Postmodern Philosophy, and Historical Philosophy. Some of these will be harder than others, depending on the content that is needed for a student's final grade, and the level of philosophy being studied. Other questions that come up in practice, however, concern the degree of difficulty that may be assigned at the graduate level, or the placement of those related titles within the curriculum.A student whose interests are not as broad as those of a professor of political science or a historian will typically be assigned a single class in a particular area of philosophy. There are some exceptions, however, and a good history of political philosophy should also inc lude the broader topics of Classical and Postmodern Philosophy. That this is usually not the case is, in part, due to the fact that most students would be interested in a broad inquiry, rather than a narrower one. The division of coursework is also a function of the decision to limit the subject matter to specific branches of philosophy.A student who wants to pursue a more focused career with specialization in the area of philosophy might not require a full course in the historical period covered in their coursework. This is often true, however, for those students who are interested in knowing what happened in the past to produce particular philosophical ideas. A student who wishes to focus on the past and the present might still need a course in American History, while a student of political theory who wishes to know how various philosophies have changed over time might need a course in American Political Thought.Other sections of coursework may be less relevant to a student's acad emic pursuits, and the teacher will make that clear, so that it is not at all surprising when a student is assigned to reading about a specific aspect of political theory in an introductory course. In such cases, the student may opt to read one of the several selections on the matter in the bibliography of the text, rather than a comprehensive text.For those students who do take courses in the history of political philosophy, they may find themselves studying the same topics on different occasions. If there is a common topic throughout the semester, this should be clearly explained to the student so that there is no confusion.The grade that the course will earn depends upon how well the student performs. The student who is not interested in a particular historical area may receive a grade that is based upon the quality of her work. If she takes the time to select one set of readings, she will be better able to determine if she was fully prepared for the course, and may therefore hav e an easier time responding to the objections of her instructor.It is always a good idea to double-check that all of the readings are appropriate for the student's grade point average, and to be sure that her personal understanding of the course is correct. Students who cannot take all of the readings should certainly seek additional information from the professor.