Political Philosophy

Academic year 2011-12

Date last modified

23-4-2012 1:29

Period

Period 2		Startdate:	31-Oct-11		Enddate:	23-Dec-11
Period 5		Startdate:	09-Apr-12		Enddate:	01-Jun-12

Code

COR1004

ECTS credits

5.0

Organisational unit

University College Maastricht

Coordinator

Description

Politics is a complex and puzzling subject. It is hard to understand why people act the way they do and believe the things they do. We are all involved in politics as voters, activists, commentators, or receivers of political initiatives and their consequences. As political philosophers we try to understand underlying conceptions that guide politics and fundamental values that help justifying concrete policies. This course will provide an introduction to contemporary philosophical debates about core concepts of justice, liberty, equality and community in modern liberal-democratic societies. Students will become familiar with the work of some of the leading political philosophers of today, like John Rawls, Isaiah Berlin, Charles Taylor and Bikhu Parekh. Since conceptual analysis is the core business of philosophy, students will learn to analyse concepts, to clarify fuzzy moral ideas, and how tensions between moral ideas can be made explicit.

Goals

• The course will provide an introduction to political philosophy. Students will learn to analyse and apply four basic concepts in contemporary political philosophy: justice, equality, liberty and community. • Students will be trained in normative political argumentation. They will exercise their ability to deliberate over contentious moral issues of public life.

Instruction language

Prerequisites

Recommended literature

Adam Swift, Political Philosophy; a Beginners’ Guide for Students and Politicians. Polity Press, Cambridge.

Teaching methods

PBL
PRESENTATION(S)
LECTURE(S)
ASSIGNMENT(S)
PAPER(S)

Assessment methods

FINAL PAPER
ATTENDANCE
PARTICIPATION
WRITTEN EXAM
ORAL EXAM
TAKE HOME EXAM

Key words