Admission requirements
Admission to one of the following programmes is required:
MA Philosophy 60 EC: specialisation Ethics and Politics
MA Philosophy 120 EC: specialisation Philosophy of Law
MA Philosophy 120 EC: specialisation Philosophy of Political Science
Description
This course provides an advanced introduction to some of the central issues and approaches in contemporary political philosophy. It focuses on three broad themes: justice, (human) rights and democracy. Within each theme, we will first explore the prominent theoretical positions and then we will explore applications of the theoretical positions to some specific problems and issues in contemporary political life. We will explore questions including: What is social or distributive justice? Does justice apply to institutions or to individual behaviour or both? Which are the most promising theories of justice, human rights and democracy and what are the major critiques on those theories? What kinds of theoretical justification do these theories offer for the principles of justice and rights that they entail? How useful are these theories to study issues of injustices and rights-violations in the real world? Is there an internal connection between human rights and democracy? What forms of civil disobedience can be justified within democratic politics?
Course objectives
The course aims to give students an understanding of the central theoretical positions in the philosophical literature on justice, human rights and democracy.
Students who successfully complete the course will have a good understanding of:
contemporary theories of social and distributive justice, human rights and democracy;
strengths and limitations of different theoretical positions for the study of particular instances of injustice or inequality such as gender justice and global inequality;
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
develop critical and argumentative skills through seminar discussion and analysis of philosophical texts;
practice, refine and further develop oral argumentation and presentation skills in political philosophy;
critically compare and synthesize the theories and concepts of the authors discussed and to apply them to contemporary conceptual debates and problems in writing.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the MA Philosophy 60 EC website
and the MA Philosophy 120 EC website
Mode of instruction
- Seminars
Class attendance is required.
Course Load
Total course load 10 EC x 28 hours = 280 hours
Attending seminars: 13 x 3 hrs = 39 hours
Study of compulsory literature: 128 hours
Essay proposal: 12 hours
Presentation: 16 hours
Additional readings: 25 hours
Final essay: 60 hours
Assessment method
Assessment
Class presentation (20%)
Essay proposal (20%)
Final essay (60%)
MA students will design their own research questions and survey relevant philosophical literature for the final essay with a world limit of 5,000 words.
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determination of the weighted average of several subtests. A subtest can be graded as unsatisfactory.
Note: attendance is required – without sufficient attendance students will be excluded from submitting a final paper.
Resit
The resit will consist of a written final paper. No separate resits will be offered for mid-term tests. The mark will replace all previously earned marks for subtests.
Class attendance amd participation is a mandatory requirement for taking the resit.
Students who have obtained a satisfactory grade for the first examination(s) cannot take the resit.
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
posting texts and other documents (syllabus, assessment criteria, etc.)
announcements
Reading list
Texts will be announced and/or distributed during the course.
Registration
Enrolment for courses and exams through uSis is mandatory.
Students are strongly advised to register in uSis through the activity number which can be found in the timetables for courses and exams.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.
Contact
Remarks
Not applicable.