| School/Faculty/Institute | Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences | ||||
| Course Code | PHIL 207 | ||||
| Course Title in English | Contemporary Political Philosophy | ||||
| Course Title in Turkish | Çağdaş Siyaset Felsefesi | ||||
| Language of Instruction | EN | ||||
| Type of Course | Lecture,Flipped Classroom | ||||
| Level of Course | Introductory | ||||
| Semester | Fall | ||||
| Contact Hours per Week |
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| Estimated Student Workload | 130 hours per semester | ||||
| Number of Credits | 5 ECTS | ||||
| Grading Mode | Standard Letter Grade | ||||
| Pre-requisites | None | ||||
| Co-requisites | None | ||||
| Expected Prior Knowledge | None | ||||
| Registration Restrictions | Only Undergraduate Students | ||||
| Overall Educational Objective | To acquire the necessary reasoning tools in order to think critically, be rational, better argue; to learn the ethical complexities of seemingly simple everyday issues and scientific developments and to gain skills to identify, argue, challenge and evaluate the arguments of others. | ||||
| Course Description | The aim of this course is to introduce the central approaches in contemporary political philosophy, and then critically compare the competing answers that they give to certain fundamental questions in political thought. The main approaches we will consider will be liberalism, communitarianism, and republicanism. Within each of these approaches, students will be exposed to various key concepts in contemporary political philosophy such as liberty, justice, identity, rights, equality, and many others. We will show how each of the main approaches differ on questions regarding these concepts and explore just how these differences play themselves out when theorizing about political issues broadly conceived. We will also focus on certain contemporary issues such as, feminism, citizenship, democracy, hate speech, cultural rights, identity politics and the welfare state. |
Course Learning Outcomes and CompetencesUpon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:1) Comprehend the main arguments for and against the basic principles of liberal egalitarian thought 2) Comprehend the key positions within contemporary political philosophy 3) Present critical and well-structured arguments in political philosophy 4) Compare and contrast the weakness and strengths of different positions in contemporary debates in liberal egalitarian thought 5) Combine arguments clearly and succinctly |
| Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Has a broad understanding of economics with a deep exposure to other social sciences and mathematics. | |||||
| 2) Demonstrates knowledge and skills in understanding the interactions of different areas of economics. | |||||
| 3) Displays a sound comprehension of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. | |||||
| 4) Applies economic concepts to solve complex problems and enhance decision-making capability. | |||||
| 5) Uses quantitative techniques to analyze different economic systems. | |||||
| 6) Applies theoretical knowledge to analyze issues regarding Turkish and global economies. | |||||
| 7) Demonstrates proficiency in statistical tools and mainstream software programs to process and evaluate economic data. | |||||
| 8) Behaves according to scientific and ethical values at all stages of economic analysis: data collection, interpretation and dissemination of findings. | |||||
| 9) Uses written and spoken English effectively (at least CEFR B2 level) to exchange scientific information. | |||||
| 10) Exhibits individual and professional ethical behavior and social responsibility. | |||||
| 11) Displays learning skills necessary for further study with a high degree of autonomy |
| N None | S Supportive | H Highly Related |
| Program Outcomes and Competences | Level | Assessed by | |
| 1) | Has a broad understanding of economics with a deep exposure to other social sciences and mathematics. | N | |
| 2) | Demonstrates knowledge and skills in understanding the interactions of different areas of economics. | N | |
| 3) | Displays a sound comprehension of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. | N | |
| 4) | Applies economic concepts to solve complex problems and enhance decision-making capability. | N | |
| 5) | Uses quantitative techniques to analyze different economic systems. | N | |
| 6) | Applies theoretical knowledge to analyze issues regarding Turkish and global economies. | N | |
| 7) | Demonstrates proficiency in statistical tools and mainstream software programs to process and evaluate economic data. | N | |
| 8) | Behaves according to scientific and ethical values at all stages of economic analysis: data collection, interpretation and dissemination of findings. | N | |
| 9) | Uses written and spoken English effectively (at least CEFR B2 level) to exchange scientific information. | N | |
| 10) | Exhibits individual and professional ethical behavior and social responsibility. | N | |
| 11) | Displays learning skills necessary for further study with a high degree of autonomy | N |
| Prepared by and Date | SENA CÜRE ACER , October 2024 |
| Course Coordinator | SENA CÜRE ACER |
| Semester | Fall |
| Name of Instructor | Öğr. Gör. TUĞBA SEVİNÇ YÜCEL |
| Week | Subject |
| 1) | David Miller (2003), “Why do we need political philosophy?” A Very Short Introduction to Political Philosophy, Oxford University Press. 1-19. |
| 2) | Rawls, J. A Theory of Justice (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999) Secs. 2-4, 9, 11-16, 20, 24-26. (Topics: egalitarianism, liberty, justice as fairness, the veil of ignorance, social contract) |
| 3) | Anderson, E. ‘What is the Point of Equality’, Ethics, 109, 2 (1999), 287-337. first half of the paper (Types of equality, critique of luck egalitarianism, deserving vs. undeserving poor) |
| 4) | Anderson, E. ‘What is the Point of Equality’, Ethics, 109, 2 (1999), 287-337 second half of the paper (Sen’s Capability Approach, political equality) |
| 5) | Van Parijs, P. ‘Basic Income: A Simple and Powerful Idea for the Twenty-First Century’, in Ackerman, B. and Wright, E.O. (eds.) Redesigning Distribution (London: Verso, 2006). (welfare provisions based on need or universal basic income) |
| 6) | Okin, S. M. ‘The Family: Gender and Justice’ Clayton, M., and A. Williams, (eds.) Social Justice (Oxford: Blackwell, 2004). |
| 7) | Review and Paper topics discussion |
| 8) | Philip Pettit, Negative and Positive Liberty, in Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government, 17-27. Philip Pettit, Liberty as Non-domination, in Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government, 31-5. (The concept of domination, the master-slave theme) |
| 9) | Philip Pettit, Republican Freedom and Contestatory Democratization, 163-190 (Active citizenship, democratic participation, consent vs. contestation, mixed government, the tyranny of the majority.) |
| 10) | Fraser and Gordon (1994), “’Dependency’ Demystified,” Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 1994, Pages 4–31. |
| 11) | Jeremy Waldron (2012), The Harm in Hate Speech, 1-34, Harvard University Press. |
| 12) | Will Kymlicka (2002). Multiculturalism, In An Introduction to Contemporary Political Philosophy, 327-336. (Politics of redistribution or politics or recognition) |
| 13) | Will Kymlicka (2002). Multiculturalism as Communitarianism, In An Introduction to Contemporary Political Philosophy, 336-343, 368-9. |
| 14) | General review, final paper topics discussion |
| 15) | Final Examination Period |
| 16) | Final Examination Period |
| Required/Recommended Readings | 1) David Miller (2003), “Why do we need political philosophy?” A Very Short Introduction to Political Philosophy, Oxford University Press. 1-19. 2) Rawls, J. A Theory of Justice (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999) Secs. 2-4, 9, 11-16, 20, 24-26. (Topics: egalitarianism, liberty, justice as fairness, the veil of ignorance, social contract) 3) Anderson, E. ‘What is the Point of Equality’, Ethics, 109, 2 (1999), 287-337. first half of the paper (Types of equality, critique of luck egalitarianism, deserving vs. undeserving poor) 4) Anderson, E. ‘What is the Point of Equality’, Ethics, 109, 2 (1999), 287-337 second half of the paper (Sen’s Capability Approach, political equality) 5) Van Parijs, P. ‘Basic Income: A Simple and Powerful Idea for the Twenty-First Century’, in Ackerman, B. and Wright, E.O. (eds.) Redesigning Distribution (London: Verso, 2006). (welfare provisions based on need or universal basic income) 6) Okin, S. M. ‘The Family: Gender and Justice’ Clayton, M., and A. Williams, (eds.) Social Justice (Oxford: Blackwell, 2004). 7) Review and Paper topics discussion 8) Philip Pettit, Negative and Positive Liberty, in Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government, 17-27. Philip Pettit, Liberty as Non-domination, in Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government, 31-5. (The concept of domination, the master-slave theme) 9) Philip Pettit, Republican Freedom and Contestatory Democratization, 163-190 (Active citizenship, democratic participation, consent vs. contestation, mixed government, the tyranny of the majority.) 10) Fraser and Gordon (1994), “’Dependency’ Demystified,” Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 1994, Pages 4–31. 11) Jeremy Waldron (2012), The Harm in Hate Speech, 1-34, Harvard University Press. 12) Will Kymlicka (2002). Multiculturalism, In An Introduction to Contemporary Political Philosophy, 327-336. (Politics of redistribution or politics or recognition) 13) Will Kymlicka (2002). Multiculturalism as Communitarianism, In An Introduction to Contemporary Political Philosophy, 336-343, 368-9. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Instructional strategy and expectations for both students and instructional staff that follow from this. Student work modes (independently and/or in teams). Any work with the outside community – geographic or industry sector. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Homework and Projects | Papers and response papers | ||||||||||||||||||
| Laboratory Work | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Computer Use | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other Activities | Papers and response papers | ||||||||||||||||||
| Assessment Methods |
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| Course Administration |
acers@mef.edu.tr Academic dishonesty and plagiarism: Law on Higher Education Art. 54 |
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| Activity | No/Weeks | Hours | Calculation | ||||
| No/Weeks per Semester | Preparing for the Activity | Spent in the Activity Itself | Completing the Activity Requirements | ||||
| Course Hours | 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 84 | ||
| Presentations / Seminar | 1 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| Homework Assignments | 1 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| Midterm(s) | 2 | 8 | 2 | 20 | |||
| Final Examination | 1 | 16 | 2 | 18 | |||
| Total Workload | 130 | ||||||
| Total Workload/25 | 5.2 | ||||||
| ECTS | 5 | ||||||