Moral Foundations of Politics

Moral Foundations of Politics is Ian Shapiro's Coursera course asking when governments deserve our allegiance and when they should be denied it. Its eight modules open with a welcome and a survey of Enlightenment political theory, then take utilitarianism in its classical and neoclassical forms, Marxism and its legacy, two modules on the social contract tradition, anti-Enlightenment politics and, finally, democracy; each theory is introduced in its historical setting and then brought to bear on current debates. The course is self-paced with a flexible schedule and includes recorded office-hours sessions. Coursera lists it as free, and Yale Online describes the free route as the full course without a certificate; a shareable Coursera certificate is a separate paid option, listed by Yale Online at $49 with location-based pricing.

Financial aid is available. Yale also posts the lecture videos on YouTube. The course was formerly hosted on Open Yale Courses and has since moved to Coursera.