Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy--Phi 365
Instructor: Brad Hadaway
Office: Pawling Hall 307
Telephone: 863-8081 [O]
570-9537 [H]
Office Hours: MWF 1-2p.m.; Th
1-3p.m.; and by appointment
Email: Bradford_Hadaway@georgetowncollege.edu
Website: http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/philosophy/hadaway/index.htm
Course Description: An examination of the major political
philosophies of our time with some attention to historical precedents. Various forms of political liberalism have
gained ascendancy in the
Course Objectives
Satisfaction
of the course requirements will enable the student:
·
To gain an understanding of some of the most important theories of
political organization, political justification, theories of justice, and
rights.
·
To gain an appreciation for some important contemporary texts in
political philosophy.
·
To conceive and produce a comprehensive, creative, and well-defended
research project in contemporary social and political philosophy.
·
To hone one’s skills in identifying and evaluating arguments.
·
To improve one’s ability to think and write clearly and critically.
·
To gain a more complete and refined understanding of your own
theoretical commitments in the political realm (or in the absence of such
commitments, to help generate them).
·
To see the connections between philosophical contributions to political
thought and the actual political arrangements of our time.
Required Texts:
Several
articles have been placed on reserve in the
Course Requirements
·
Attendance and class participation (7 or more unexcused absences hurt you)
·
5 response writing papers (1-2 pages) 25%
·
1 short paper (5-7 pages) or presentation 15%
·
1 longer paper (10-15 pages) 40%
·
Final exam (you write the questions) 20%
Final Grading Scale:
A = 100-90; B = 89-80; C =
79-70; D = 69-60; F = 59 and below
**Note: Scores for each individual assignment will
either be as a letter grade [presentation, research paper, and feedback
responses] which will correspond to the following numerical score:
A+ =
98; A = 94.5; A- = 91; B+ = 88; B = 84.5; B- = 81; C+ = 78; C = 74.5; C- = 71;
D+ = 68; D = 64.5; D- = 61; F = 54.5
So if you receive a “B-” on a
paper or exam, that score is treated as an “81” when figuring your
average.
Attendance and Class
Participation
You
are allowed six unexcused absences before your grade is affected. Beginning with the seventh unexcused absence,
each missed class will incur a reduction in your final point total. Every unexcused absence after six will mean a
1.5 point reduction in the final score.
For example, a student with 13 unexcused absences (roughly 1/3rd
of the course) will have his or her final score reduced by 9 points. The final
score can be further reduced if a student repeatedly demonstrates a lack of
preparation for class. I will assess
your preparation by a method detailed in a handout entitled, "Preparing
for Class Discussion."
Short and Long Papers
Papers
represent your chance to ‘do’ philosophy rather than merely ‘report’ on what
other philosophers have said. Your short paper assignment (should you choose this option) will present
you with a challenge or question based upon the course material, and your paper
will represent your best philosophical answer to the challenge or
question. Your long paper topic will be
of your own choosing. From the readings
and class discussions from the first 12 weeks of class, you will construct a
topic of genuine philosophical interest, do extensive research on that topic,
and write a 10-15 page paper as the culmination of that research. Both the short and long papers will be
expository (carefully and completely setting out, explaining, and defending an argument)
and critical (considering possible objections to the argument that you have set
out). Please refer to the piece,
“Learning to Write an Excellent Philosophy Essay” before turning in your first
paper, and look to the “Research in Philosophy” link prior to turning in your
second. Both links can be found on my
website. I will be in close consultation
with you as you write your paper(s), and it is my hope that the result of our
joint efforts will be a paper from your
Presentations
If
this option is chosen, a student will present and defend his or her research
during the last two weeks of the semester.
I will give more explicit directions about the nature of your
presentation responsibilities during the course of the semester. Note that if this option is chosen, the due
date for the research paper will be Thursday, December 1st by email
AND under my office door by 5p.m.
Response
Writing
You
will write at least five mini-papers in which you will (a) offer the beginnings
of a critical assessment of an author's work, (b) work towards a greater
understanding of a difficult concept, or (c) reflect more carefully upon an
author's position. See the handout
concerning response writing for more detailed information.
Final Exam
On
or near the final day of class, we will write the exam questions together, and
the exam will be given on its scheduled day.
The final will be an essay
exam.
Late Papers:
Late
papers will NOT be accepted unless the instructor is informed ahead
of time of a problem or there is a documented emergency [e.g. illness
with Doctor’s note]. I cannot simply
accept your word that you had an emergency.
I need to have some form of verification. If
you have not notified the instructor of a problem ahead of time or if you are
unable to provide documentation of your emergency, you will receive a non-negotiable
zero. Assignments can always be turned in early.
Web Resources
During
the course of the semester, I may make certain handouts, lecture note outlines,
and helpful resources for the class available on my website. In
light of these facts, you are required to have some basic knowledge of the
internet and access to the web.
As a
IMPORTANT
NOTES
·
If accommodations are needed for a disability, please notify me during
the first class period or as soon as possible.
·
The Academic Honor Code must be observed in this course. Please see the Student Handbook for
details. Any infraction of the Honor
Code will result in a failing grade of ‘0’ for the plagiarized work, and
depending upon the circumstances, further action could be taken through the
appropriate administrative channels.
Please note that any papers turned in via email should be accompanied
with a hard copy as soon as possible, but the work I receive via email will
be what is graded. I will have to
assume that any plagiarism contained in “a draft sent by mistake” was
intentional, and I will have to assume that you are sending the finished
product. So make sure you check the
draft you send.
·
Please note that the policies and course outline stated in this
syllabus are subject to minor change.
Course Outline
I. Course
Introduction
II. The Nature of Liberalism
A. Hobbes:
Leviathan—selections (reserve)
B.
Locke: Second Treatise of Government—selections (reserve)
C.
Kant: Perpetual Peace (reserve)
D. Rousseau: On the Social Contract—selections (reserve)
E. Rawls: A Theory of Justice
F.
Rawls: Justice as Fairness
Suggested:
Kymlicka: “Liberal
Equality” (reserve)
Dworkin: “Autonomy” (reserve)
Kolm: “Distributive
Justice” (reserve)
Waldron: “Rights”
**First Paper Assignment (Short paper)**
III. The Libertarian Challenge
A. Locke: Second Treatise of Government—selections (reserve)
B. Mill: On Liberty (reserve)
C.
Nozick: Anarchy, State, and Utopia
Suggested:
See listing above for liberalism.
Kymlicka:
“Libertarianism” (reserve)
Kukathas: “
IV. The
Communitarian Challenge
A. Aristotle: Politics—selections (reserve)
B.
Sandel: Liberalism and the
Limits of Justice
C.
D. MacIntyre: The Privatization of Good (reserve)
Suggested:
Kymlicka:
“Communitarianism” (reserve)
Kymlicka: “Community”
(reserve)
V. The Radical Egalitarian Challenge
A. Nielsen:
Radical Egalitarianism—selections (reserve)
Suggested:
Hindess: “Marxism”
(reserve)
Self: “Socialism”
(reserve)
**Long
Paper Assignment**
Please note that your
long paper is assigned from the first day of class. Though it is
often human nature to
put things off until the last minute, it is recommended that you
not adopt this strategy
for your long paper. In fact, I strongly
suggest that you try to
get a draft to me no
later than November 23rd, so that I can help you to identify
potential
problem areas in your
work. The papers will be due on the last
day of class,
December 12th,
unless you are doing a presentation on your research in which
case the paper will be
due December 1st.
**Final Exam** Friday, December 16th, 3-5 p.m.