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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN BULGARIA
PHI 304a – Modern and Contemporary Political Philosophy Department of History and Civilizations Fall 2016 Professor: Dr. Diego Lucci Email: [email protected] , phone: - Webpage: http://www.aubg.bg/facultyPopup.aspx?fid= Office hours: R 17.30-20.30, or by appointment. Room: BAC 305 Time: MR 16.00-17.20 (13 weeks, starting September 8). Room: BAC 204 Pre-requisites: ENG102 Persuasion Gen. Ed.: Moral and Philosophical Reasoning Credits: 3 (6 ECTS cr.)
Course outline
The course covers the development of Western Political Philosophy in the modern and contemporary era. Particular attention is paid to the theoretical bases of the modern state and the social contract theory in the early modern time. As regards the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the course especially focuses on concepts such as liberty, justice, equality and democracy, and takes into account the most significant currents of contemporary political thought.
General Education Status
This course fulfills the requirement in Moral and Philosophical Reasoning.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon taking this course, students will be able to:
- Understand fundamental principles of philosophical and moral reasoning by regularly attending the course, reading the required readings, contributing to in- class discussion, and critically reflecting on the topics at issue. The understanding of philosophical and moral concepts, arguments, theories, and methods is crucial to the improvement of one’s organizational and critical skills.
- Apply philosophical principles in investigation to better understand complex contemporary and historical issues, particularly by contributing to in-class debates, writing essays on in-class exams, and doing independent research. This is a crucial skill in one’s life as a responsible and active member of the community.
- Appreciate the historical development of philosophical and moral thought, especially in relation to the subjects studied, and thus develop the ability to critically examine philosophical and moral issues. This ability will enable students to develop informed and well-grounded arguments in discussing important moral, social, and political issues.
- Write and speak in the area of philosophical and moral reasoning, particularly by working on written assignments and the presentation. Presenting one’s point in a clear, well-organized, and convincing way is a fundamental skill in all careers, as well as in one’s contributions to the civil community. This course offers a thorough and deep analysis of important political concepts, such as liberty, equality, justice, and democracy. By investigating the historical development and nature of such concepts, this course gives students the opportunity to appreciate the fundamentals of political theory, and to apply the concept framework offered by this course to specific cases and contexts.
Texts and Resources
Required readings consist of essays and extracts from works in the field of Political Philosophy. The professor will post the required readings in Blackboard. Each student attending the course has to download and save copies of the required readings. Online encyclopedia entries and articles are recommended as additional resources on topics covered in the course: the links to these resources are in the reading list below.
Class Policies
Lectures and readings
Please take note of the lectures, which are part of the study load. Part of each class is intended to consider, discuss or work with the texts used in the course. Students must always bring the texts in class in order to actively participate and, hence, not to negatively affect their grade on participation. Readings will help us examine philosophical works, their nature and goals, and how to utilize them in order to understand philosophical issues and to reconsider them in light of some recent developments of Western civilization.
Exams
In-class exams consist of open-answer (i.e. up to 1 handwritten page per answer) and short essay questions (i.e. up to 2 handwritten pages per essay). Grading criteria and point distribution, also indicated below and in the attached rubrics, will be included on the exams and further explained by the professor. The final exam is not comprehensive: it covers the material studied after the midterm exam. Exams reflect the purpose of the course and, thus, aim at testing students’ knowledge of the contents of the course and their ability to analyze the significance of specific philosophical issues. In writing the short essays, students have to comply with the relevant rubric attached to this syllabus. In answering to open-answer questions, students have to comply with the relevant rubric attached to this syllabus. Only for very serious and documented reasons, and only after consulting the professor in advance, students can be allowed to reschedule an exam. Those who do not take an exam, without consulting the professor in advance, will be given 0 points on the respective exam. Those who do not take an exam will be given 0 points on such exam.
with the professor, in-class presentations and, finally, the submission of the final version.
- The research paper must be submitted in both an electronic copy (via email) and a hard copy, double-spaced, by Monday, December 5, at class time. Only for very serious and documented reasons, and only after consulting the professor in advance, students can be allowed to postpone the submission of the paper. Those who do not submit the paper by the deadline, without receiving in advance the professor’s approval for a late submission, will be downgraded by 10 points on this assignment for every 24 hours they take after the deadline. Students who do not submit the paper, or who submit it, without receiving in advance the professor’s approval for a late submission, more than 3 days (i.e. 72 hours) after the deadline, will receive 0 points on this assignment.
Presentation
Each student is required to deliver a 10-minute presentation on his/her research project. In preparing and delivering their presentations, students have to comply with the rubric attached to this syllabus. In their presentations, students have to explain the topic, approach and development of their researches. Students will thus have an opportunity to share the partial results of their researches with their colleagues and the professors, and receive further feedback and advice for the completion of their projects. The professor will make a presentation schedule and distribute it to students in advance. If a student does not come to class on the day his/her presentation is scheduled, he/she will receive 0 points on the presentation. The professor will allow such student to deliver his/her presentation on another day only after being provided with adequate certification, attesting that the student had a health problem or another major reason to miss the class on the day of his/her presentation.
Attendance and participation
Students are required to take an active part in the course at reading, oral, as well as written levels. Punctuality is requested. The grade on participation is assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
- Regular attendance.
- Attention paid during lectures.
- Informed participation in class debates: this means that students’ contributions to class debates have to be consistent with the topic discussed in class and have to be based on an adequate analysis of the required readings. Students are expected to regularly attend classes in order to better comprehend concepts, arguments and themes that will be covered in the exams. Attendance is required and will be checked on a daily basis. Besides contributing to the grade on participation, attendance counts toward the assessment of the final grade in the following way:
- 3 unexcused absences will be tolerated without academic penalty.
- Each unexcused absence after the 3rd^ will result in a reduction of one point from the total of 100 points for the course, up until the 6th^ unexcused absence.
- A maximum of 6 unexcused absences will be allowed without failure for the course. Students who will make more than 6 unexcused absences will receive F as their final grade, regardless of their performance on exams and other assignments. Excused absences are those due to certified health reasons or any other documentable major reason (e.g. death of a person in the student’s immediate family, participation in a scholarly event or in an important co-curricular activity, etc.). In any case, students will need to provide the professor with appropriate documentation. The professor will excuse an absence only on the basis of such documentation.
Ethical rules
High ethical standards are expected from all students. The University policies regarding academic dishonesty (i.e. plagiarism, incorrect reporting of data, use of work in one course from another, and cheating) will be enforced, i.e. by assigning an “X” to those responsible for dishonest conduct. Practices of academic dishonesty are described in the Undergraduate Catalog of the American University in Bulgaria. Students are required to respect one another and the professor, in class as well as in other communications, discussions and considerations related to the course, including emails and other messages to the professor and conversations during the office hours. Intolerant, discriminatory, intimidating, scornful, denigrating and disrespectful behaviors towards other students or the professor are not acceptable. Students have the right to disagree with one another and the professor; but, in asserting their viewpoints or in trying to refute the others’ ideas, they are required to behave respectfully. Students who behave disrespectfully towards other students or the professor will be given an “F” as their final grade, independent of their academic performance. Finally, students who misbehave in class (e.g. chatting, laughing, sleeping, being blatantly inattentive, reading texts or notes different from those used in class, doing things that are not relevant to the class, being obnoxious to other students and the professor) will be downgraded by 5 points per each time they misbehave.
Students are encouraged to make use of the office hours and email to consult the professor on whatever topic is relevant to class, assignments, grading criteria, readings, and the like. However, students must absolutely abstain from the following practices:
- Asking the professor to assign them some “extra work” that would allow them to earn some “extra points” and, therefore, improve their grade. All students must work on the assignments described in this syllabus, and those whose performance on such assignments does not satisfy them must consider themselves as responsible for this.
- Asking the professor to give them “make-up exams” that would allow them to earn a higher grade than earned on a regular exam. All students must work seriously in order to perform well on both the midterm and the final exams, and those whose performance on such exams does not satisfy them must consider themselves as responsible for this.
- Asking the professor to help them earn a higher grade than they deserve. All students will be graded based on the assignments described in this syllabus. For this reason, those who need good grades in order to retain their scholarships, as
Part I – The state, society, and the individual in the making of modernity: from Hobbes to the 19th^ century
M Sep. 12: Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (1651), selections. Recommended resource: Sharon Lloyd and Susanne Sreedhar, Hobbes’ Moral and Political Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hobbes-moral/
R Sep. 15: John Locke, Second Treatise of Civil Government (1689), selections. Recommended resource: Alex Tuckness, Locke’s Political Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke-political/
M Sep. 19: Baruch Spinoza, A Political-Theological Treatise (1670), selections. John Locke, A Letter concerning Toleration (1689), selections. Recommended resources: Rainer Forst, Toleration, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/toleration/ Justin Steinberg, Spinoza’s Political Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/spinoza-political/
R Sep. 22: No classes (Bulgarian Independence Day)
M Sep. 26: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality among Men (1754) and The Social Contract (1762), selections. Recommended resource: Christopher Bertram, Rousseau’s Political Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rousseau/
R Sep. 29: Georg Hegel, Elements of the Philosophy of Right (1820), selections. Recommended resource: Paul Redding, Hegel, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hegel/
M Oct. 3: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848) and The German Ideology (1846), selections. Recommended resource: Jonathan Wolff, Karl Marx, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marx/
R Oct. 6: John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859), selections. Recommended resource: David Brink, Mill’s Moral and Political Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mill-moral-political/
M Oct. 10: Review for the midterm exam
R Oct. 13: Midterm exam
Part II – Liberty, equality, and justice in the contemporary philosophical-political debate
M Oct. 17: Isaiah Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty (1958), introduction and chapters 1, 2, 7 and 8. Recommended resource: Ian Carter, Positive and Negative Liberty, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberty-positive-negative/
R Oct. 20: David Sidorsky, The Third Concept of Liberty and the Politics of Identity (2001).
Fall break
M Oct. 31: John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (1971), selections. Recommended resource: Leif Wenar, John Rawls, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rawls/ M Oct. 31: Class time: deadline for the submission of abstracts
R Nov. 3: Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974), selections. Recommended resource: Peter Vallentyne, Libertarianism, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/libertarianism/
M Nov. 7: Individual meetings on research projects
R Nov. 10: Individual meetings on research projects
M Nov. 14: Amitai Etzioni, The Responsive Community (1996). Recommended resource: David Bell, Communitarianism, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/communitarianism/
Part III – Democracy Today
R Nov. 17: Robert A. Dahl, Procedural Democracy (1979). Recommended resource: Tom Christiano, Democracy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/democracy/
M Nov. 21: Student presentations on the research project
R Nov. 24: Student presentations on the research project
M Nov. 28: Student presentations on the research project
R Dec. 1: David Held, Democracy: From City-States to a Cosmopolitan Order? (1992).
OR
ORGANIZATION AND STYLE : The answer is written in a unified way, but a few passages are written incorrectly or a few transitions are inappropriate and, therefore, the answer lacks a logical development, although the answer as a whole makes sense. (Variations between B+, B and B- depend on the type and number of shortcomings)
C+/C/C- Sufficient : CONTENTS : The contents of the answer are relevant to the required topic, but one or two fundamental elements of the required subject are not addressed properly or clearly enough. AND ORGANIZATION AND STYLE : The answer is written in a unified way, but a few passages are written incorrectly or a few transitions are inappropriate and, therefore, the answer lacks a logical development, although the answer as a whole makes sense. (Variations between C+, C and C- depend on the type and number of shortcomings)
D+/D Poor : CONTENTS : The contents of the essay are relevant to the required topic, but so incompletely or unclearly explained that the required subject as a whole is addressed improperly. AND/OR ORGANIZATION AND STYLE : The essay is not written correctly and/or in a unified and logical way, and it is therefore difficult to understand the meaning of the essay. (Variations between D+ and D depend on the type and number of shortcomings)
F Failed : The essay is irrelevant to the required topic (e.g. it deals, completely or mostly, with a different topic). OR The essay addresses the required topic in a very vague, imprecise, disorganized or significantly incomplete way. OR No answer at all is provided (i.e. “blank sheet”).
RUBRIC FOR SHORT ESSAYS (as part of an exam)
Contents, 50% The contents of the essay need to be relevant to the topic at issue: all the fundamental aspects of the required subject must be addressed
adequately and thoroughly.
Theories and facts have to be explained clearly and smoothly, in accordance with the required subject.
You have to provide a critical analysis of the topic at issue. This means that you have to reflect and comment critically on the subject you examine, and you have to give your evaluation of the theories, facts and interpretations taken into account.
Details of grading: A/A-: excellent / almost excellent, in line with the criteria stated in this rubric (a very few minor shortcomings may be present: variations between A and A- depend on the type and number of such shortcomings) B+/B/B-: good, mostly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, but presenting few or minor mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between B+, B and B- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) C+/C/C-: sufficient, fairly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, presenting many or significant mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between C+, C and C- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) D+/D: poor, not in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, and presenting many significant mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between D+ and D depend on the type and number of shortcomings) F: the essay is irrelevant to the topic at issue (e.g. it deals, completely or mostly, with a different topic), or covers the topic at issue in a very vague, imprecise or significantly incomplete way, or no answer at all is provided (i.e. “blank sheet”).
Organization and style, 50%
The essay has to be written in a unified way, ordering the paragraphs properly.
Your introduction has to be original, not too wide, not too short, and ought to lead smoothly to the thesis, which must be clearly stated.
You have to employ appropriate transitions from one paragraph to the next, and there must be a logical sequencing of paragraphs.
Your conclusion has to provide either a summary of your analysis, highlighting its main points, or offer a deeper insight into the issue you have discussed.
All the fundamental aspects of the topic at issue must be addressed adequately and thoroughly. Theories and facts have to be explained clearly and smoothly, in accordance with the required subject.
You have to provide a critical analysis of the topic at issue. This means that you have to reflect and comment critically on the subject you examine, and you have to give your evaluation of the theories, facts and interpretations taken into account. In a few words, your presentation cannot be merely descriptive, but must present an original thesis.
Details of grading: A/A-: excellent / almost excellent, in line with the criteria stated in this rubric (a very few minor shortcomings may be present: variations between A and A- depend on the type and number of such shortcomings) B+/B/B-: good, mostly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, but presenting few or minor mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between B+, B and B- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) C+/C/C-: sufficient, fairly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, presenting many or significant mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between C+, C and C- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) D+/D: poor, not in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, and presenting many significant mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between D+ and D depend on the type and number of shortcomings) F: the essay is irrelevant to the topic at issue (e.g. it deals, completely or mostly, with a different topic), or covers the topic at issue in a very vague, imprecise or significantly incomplete way, or no answer at all is provided (i.e. “blank sheet”).
Organization, 3 0%
Your introduction has to be original, neither too wide, nor too short. In your introduction, you should creatively get the attention and interest of the audience and clearly reveal your topic. If you deal with an author in particular, do not supply biographical information about the author as a means of introducing your topic to the audience, unless such information is crucial to our understanding of your point. As regards the biography of an author, it is enough to mention the era when, and the place(s) where, he/she lived. The best way to begin is to create in your audience the need to learn more about your topic.
Each paragraph should be clearly linked to the overall topic and to the
paragraph before it. You have to employ appropriate transitions from one paragraph to the next, and construct a logical sequencing of paragraphs.
All the arguments supporting your thesis must be developed logically and systematically.
Your conclusion has to provide either a summary of your analysis, highlighting its main points, or offer a deeper insight into the issue you have discussed.
Details of grading: A/A-: excellent / almost excellent, in line with the criteria stated in this rubric (a very few minor shortcomings may be present: variations between A and A- depend on the type and number of such shortcomings) B+/B/B-: good, mostly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, but presenting a few disorganized, inconsistent or incomplete parts (variations between B+, B and B- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) C+/C/C-: sufficient, fairly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, presenting various disorganized, inconsistent or incomplete parts (variations between C+, C and C- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) D+/D: poor, not in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, and presenting many significantly disorganized, inconsistent or incomplete parts (variations between D+ and D depend on the type and number of shortcomings) F: the essay is irrelevant to the topic at issue (e.g. it deals, completely or mostly, with a different topic), or covers the topic at issue in a very disorganized, inconsistent or incomplete way, or no answer at all is provided (i.e. “blank sheet”).
Language and style, 40%
The style you employ has to be clear, straightforward, inspired and reflective of the enthusiasm you are expected to have put into your writing.
Your language should be free of grammar and syntax errors, and your word choice should be well thought out and precise. You should avoid long and complex sentences and unnecessary pauses.
You have to speak to your audience. So, when delivering your presentation, look at your fellow students and talk to them (not to the floor or the ceiling). Please remember that the way a presentation is delivered can
prove its validity in the paper.
Research. You have to do serious research on the subject you have chosen. Therefore, the sources you use must be reliable. You cannot disregard resources that are commonly considered as fundamental sources or pieces of scholarship on the subject at issue. You are, therefore, strongly invited to consult the instructor in order to identify how many and which resources to study. An approach that takes into account different perspectives is strongly appreciated.
Details of grading: A/A-: excellent / almost excellent, in line with the criteria stated in this rubric (a very few minor defects may be present: variations between A and A- depend on the type and number of such shortcomings) B+/B/B-: good, mostly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, but presenting few or minor mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between B+, B and B- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) C+/C/C-: sufficient, fairly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, presenting many or significant mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between C+, C and C- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) D+/D: poor, not in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, and presenting many significant mistakes, inconsistencies or omissions (variations between D+ and D depend on the type and number of shortcomings) F: the essay is irrelevant to the topic at issue (e.g. it deals, completely or mostly, with a different topic), or covers the topic at issue in a very vague, imprecise or significantly incomplete way
Organization, 40%
Your introduction has to be original, not too wide, not too short, and ought to lead smoothly to your thesis, which must be clearly stated.
Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence that clearly links that paragraph to the thesis and to the paragraph before it.
You have to employ appropriate transitions from one paragraph to the next, and construct a logical sequencing of paragraphs.
All the arguments supporting your thesis must be developed logically and systematically.
Your conclusion has to provide either a summary of your analysis, highlighting its main points, or offer a deeper insight into the issue
you have discussed.
Details of grading: A/A-: excellent / almost excellent, in line with the criteria stated in this rubric (a very few minor shortcomings may be present: variations between A and A- depend on the type and number of such shortcomings) B+/B/B-: good, mostly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, but presenting a few disorganized, inconsistent or incomplete parts (variations between B+, B and B- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) C+/C/C-: sufficient, fairly in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, presenting various disorganized, inconsistent or incomplete parts (variations between C+, C and C- depend on the type and number of shortcomings) D+/D: poor, not in line with the criteria stated in this rubric, and presenting many significantly disorganized, inconsistent or incomplete parts (variations between D+ and D depend on the type and number of shortcomings) F: the essay is irrelevant to the topic at issue (e.g. it deals, completely or mostly, with a different topic), or covers the topic at issue in a very disorganized, inconsistent or incomplete way
Support, 10% You should use carefully selected, pertinent and brief quotes from your sources as a means of illustrating the point you are trying to make.
You must always indicate the location of your quotes, by using footnotes or notes in texts. You should also write, besides the notes, a bibliography at the end of your paper.
You are free to decide the style of your notes and bibliography, but all your notes must be consistent with the same norm and must include the following details: author (if available), title, place and date of publication (if available), page number(s) or chapter(s) (if needed). In case of electronic sources, it is not enough to indicate only a link. You must also specify: author (if available) and title, before the link.
Details of grading: A/A-: excellent / almost excellent, in line with the criteria stated in this rubric (a very few minor shortcomings may be present: variations between A and A- depend on the type and number of such shortcomings) B+/B/B-: good, mostly in line with the criteria stated in this
reader can comprehend its meaning only by making significant efforts (variations between D+ and D depend on the type and number of shortcomings) F: the essay is written in such a bad way, and presents so many grammar or syntax errors, that it is fully or mostly incomprehensible to the reader
Please note : this component of the grade (i.e. language and style) is considered only if a grade better than F on both contents and organization is earned. Otherwise, F is given on this component of the grade as well.
