Description
This course offers an introduction to some of the major texts of Western political philosophy. There are different (and sometimes conflicting) views about what political philosophy is, but we will concentrate on the view that sees political philosophy as the reflection on the nature and aims of good government. More specifically, we will examine how various political philosophers, from Plato to the present, have thought about the idea of justice and its relation to political morality and to the good functioning of governments. Justice is a central theme in the Western canon of moral and political thought, and one that has given philosophers repeated opportunities for dialogue and disagreement. We will see that, though justice is a concept that is central to philosophical reflection, its specific conceptions change at least partially from one author to another and that, sometimes, there might be some contradictions between different texts written by one and the same author.
Course Objectives
- Students should become familiar with some of the major texts of political philosophy, as well as the main debates and concepts of the discipline (the emphasis is set on the concept of justice, but we will also consider other relevant or closely related concepts, such as freedom, coercion, happiness, virtue, security, and so on).
- Students should acquire a close understanding of key modes of reasoning, interpreting and constructing an argument in political philosophy;
- Students should be able to identify the main claim or thesis of a philosophical text, summarize the way in which the argument is articulated and identify the limits of a philosophical argument;
- Students should be able to read political philosophy texts with a critical eye and think about the way in which the historical and political context of these texts matter for the argument that is being presented or for the mode of reasoning and the discourse adopted by various political philosophers;
- Students should be able to articulate the ways in which the questions raised by political philosophers can impact or inform the problems of governance, public policy and administration.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Blackboard.
Mode of Instruction
Lectures (attendance highly recommended)
Working groups/seminars (attendance compulsory)
No absence from the working groups is allowed, unless adequately justified (for example, a medical certificate or a message from the study advisor). If the student has an excuse for missing a working group, the student has to hand in an extra assignment (decided by the working group teacher) within one week following the working group the student did not attend. If the student does not hand in the extra assignment in time, the student will be excluded from further participating in the working group, which leads to a failure of the 2nd assignment for the course.
If the student provides no excuse for missing the working group, the student will have to hand in 2 extra assignments (decided by the working group teacher) within one week following the working group the student did not attend. Absent these 2 extra assignments, the student will be excluded from further participating in the working group, which leads to a failure of the 2nd assignment for the course.
Course Load
According to established norms, a 5 ECTS course requires (5x28=) 140 hours of study.
For this course the study load is roughly divided as follows:
Lectures: (7x2) 14 hours
Seminars: (7x2) 14 hours
Examination: 5 hours
Self-study: 107
Assessment Method
1 paper assignment: 40% of the final grade
1 written take-home exam: 30% of the final grade
1 written sit-in multiple-choice questions exam: 30% of the final grade
The grade of both exams has to be 5.5 or higher (compensation is not possible)
More information about participation in exams can be found in the Rules & Regulations.
Resit written exam
Students that want to take part in a resit for a written exam, are required to register via uSis. Use the activity number that can be found on the ‘timetable exams’.
For dates and times, please see course syllabus and roster online.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for communicating with students and for sharing the necessary documents (syllabus, paper assignment description, etc.).
Reading List
Cahn, S. 2014. Political Philosophy. The Essential Texts. Oxford University Press (preferably 3rd edition, but other editions are acceptable if they include the required texts). Other articles will be added to the list of compulsory readings in the syllabus.
Registration
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis. Some courses and workgroups have a limited number of participants, so register on time (before the course starts). In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course.
Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted here.