Introduction to Political Theory

My Favorite Course in Political Science

Why This Course

I consider knowledge of these ideas to be essential for anyone who wants to seriously discuss politics. It was this class that sparked my interest in a political science double major.

A Typical Day in This Class

To be honest, there's not really a typical day for this class. Professor Rahul Sagar always starts with a contextualization of the assigned reading, explaining its historical background and importance. But more often than not, he will vary the way this context is presented, be it through a masterful oral exposé, a presentation of documents and maps, or a fun short informative video.

We then move on to discussions of the reading. Discussions can go from lecture style student-professor exchanges, a spontaneous group presentations, to exchanges of simple drawings summing up the reading. The only constant is that by the end of the class, we will end up with a comprehensive diagram summarizing the reading. 

What I Loved About The Class

It is hard to come up with one. The class is a collection of lovely moments that go from professor Rahul's frequent driving metaphors (an inside joke one would only get by taking the class) or to him conjuring up a social experiment on a whim to test Hobbes' theories during a group presentation.

Tips on Navigating What Major or Course to Take

Navigating major and course selection wasn't that hard for me. I came to NYUAD with a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do.

The question was how much would I be able to do. My answer was taking it a semester at a time, filling requirements slowly but surely. Now that I want to do a double major, I will need more planning ahead. But I think the "chill" one semester at a time approach to taking classes is a good compromise for people who aren't planners.

Why NYU Abu Dhabi?

I chose NYUAD for its global outlook where I am allowed to pursue a quality undergraduate education with study away opportunities.