The writings of seventeenth and nineteenth century women social and political theorists will be explored as contributing to the development of classical and contemporary social and political theory. These women wrote on status of women and gender role issues as well as dealing with such fundamental matters as the nature and origin of society/social contract, political rights and obligations, government, constitutional change, revolution, slavery, socialism, the welfare state, imperialism and racism. An important feature of the course would be to show women theorists' contributions on central political interests and the integration of gender issues with those of class and race.