Description
Political philosophers try to answer the question how political communities ought to be organized. To that end, they attempt to identify the different goals that political communities pursue or should pursue, such as security, justice, liberty, and happiness. They try to determine how these goals relate to each other, for example whether they can be pursued simultaneously or whether they conflict. Finally, they make suggestions for the institutional organization of states and other forms of political organization.
Through the course of these lectures, taking a number of foundational values of liberal democracy as our guide, students will first be introduced to the key concepts, theories, and debates in contemporary political philosophy (with a substantive focus on the question of freedom/liberty). Subsequently, we will investigate the applicability of these theories and concepts to contemporary debates about global issues, concerning for example migration and climate change.
Course objectives
The student has knowledge of a number of concepts and issues that are central to contemporary (Anglo-American) political philosophy, such as social justice, liberty, equality, community, and democracy;
The student has knowledge of the most important theoretical contributions to contemporary political philosophical debates, including liberalism, communitarianism, libertarianism, and liberal egalitarianism;
The student can apply these theories to international questions concerning, inter alia, self-determination, migration, and global justice.
Schedule
The timetables are available through MyTimetable (see the button in the upper right corner).
Teaching method
Lectures
Assessment Method
Written exam: 60% Multiple Choice; 40% Open Questions
Resit, review & feedback
The time and location of inspection and debriefing of the exam will be announced via Brightspace no later than the publication of the grades.
Reading List
Swift, A. Political Philosophy: A beginners’ guide for politicians and students. Cambridge: Polity Press (2014).
Miller, D (ed.). The Liberty Reader. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press). (2006).
Registration
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website (https://www.student.universiteitleiden.nl/en/your-study-programme/courses-and-exams/enrolment/social-and-behavioural-sciences/international-relations-and-organisations-bsc?cd=international-relations-and-organisations-bsc&cf=social-and-behavioural-sciences#tab-1).
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer(s) (listed in the right information bar). For questions about enrolment, contact the Student Services Centre: ssc@leiden.edu.
Remarks
Note that in year 2, students can choose to take either Contemporary Political Philosophy in block 3 or Rational Choice Theory in block 4, and are allowed to register only for one of the two courses.
This choice will have consequences for your study load in block 3 or 4. If you decide to take Contemporary Political Philosophy, your study load in block 3 will be 3 lecture based courses plus a semester workgroup course, and 2 lecture based courses plus a semester workgroup course in block 4. (Or, vice versa if you choose for Rational Choice Theory in block 4).