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political
science 404/515 contemporary
(normative-analytic) political philosophy Tuesday evenings, 6-9 pm email:
Don.Carmichael@ualberta.ca office hours: by email appointment |
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Course Outline This seminar will draw on some of the
principal recent works in normative-analytic political philosophy as a basis for
addressing questions about the possible value and meanings of public goods
and public space. This is the main approach to political
philosophy in the English-speaking world. It is characteristically
‘normative’ in focussing on issues of value and justification in political
life and ‘analytic’ in addressing these issues in terms that stress careful
analysis and clarity. These issues
mainly arise within and about the modern social-democratic liberal state (eg,
freedom, equality, justice) -- but the field also includes many radical and
revolutionary theorists who reject the liberal democratic state. The field is politically wide-open. It is
characterized by a commitment to clarity in analysis and justification, not
by political beliefs. The course will provide an overview of the
leading theorists and issues in the field.
But two such theorists will be singled out for detailed and
contrasting attention: John Rawls (on justice and public justification) and
Charles Taylor (on practical reasoning and community-based value). The Work The purpose of this seminar is not to
‘instruct’ students, but rather to provide a format in which they can read
and discuss some core works of the field.
Clearly, only some of the core works can be covered. Consequently, I invite participants to
suggest revisions to the course topics and work load as the seminar proceeds Readings and Texts On-line articles will be used extensively,
in addition to a course pack of readings (Pol S 404/515 course reader) available in SUB Bookstore. The course pack contains extensive selections from Charles Taylor’s Sources
of The Self. Students may want to
order this directly (it is available in a reasonably priced paper edition
from the various on-line booksellers).
Pre-requisite: Political
Science 210 or equivalent Course Requirements All participants
(including any auditors) will be expected to contribute to the seminar
discussions and to prepare for these discussions by careful reading of the
assigned material. I appreciate that
some students are uncomfortable speaking in class; arrangements can be made
for such students to contribute in written form, without speaking. Students taking the course for credit will
be asked to do (i) three essays, (ii) an oral commentary on the work of
another student in the seminar, and (iii) digests of selected readings each
week. The essays should be “positional”, as
described below. Two of these papers
(6-7 pp) will due during the term; one of these papers will be discussed in
the seminar. Students will be invited to develop their
own topics and interests through these papers. A third and somewhat longer (7-10 pp) paper
will be due at the end of the term; this paper should engage both Rawls and
Taylor critically on
some central issue. The oral commentary opens the discussion of another student’s seminar
paper with a brief (5 minute) statement of possible lines of criticism and
discussion. Here again, special arrangements may be made for students who
are uncomfortable speaking in class
.More information on how to do a commentary will be provided in the
week before the first one is done. A “digest” is a brief statement – roughly 1.5 pp -- of the core
position of each the designated readings (the main point and the main steps
in its argument). Students will be
asked to do a digest each week of
assigned readings – with two weeks off of their own choosing. Grades Essays: (3 @ equal weight)* 80% Commentary 10% Contributions to the seminar** 10% * In cases of significant improvement, the
better essay(s) may be given more weight ** Seminar contributions will be
evaluated by the quality of oral contributions, including
questions. One can contribute
effectively to the quality of a seminar without speaking much, or even at
all. Students who are uncomfortable
speaking in public are invited to discuss alternative forms of contribution
with me. Essay Requirements All
essays should be terse, analytical, and "positional" -- arguing a definite
thesis in relation to some aspect of the readings. Students are encouraged to
develop their own views in these essays -- eg, by contesting a specific claim
made by the author, or by arguing a rival thesis on the topic, or (in certain
cases) by writing a critical response to a fellow student in the seminar. The
only requirement is that the essay argue a specific
and explicitly stated thesis ("In this essay I will argue that...
"). This is
a specific style of essay writing. Students who are unfamiliar with this
style should consult with me for direction before writing their first paper. Essay
Topics & Deadlines Three
papers are required: paper #
1: on any topic covered in Part 1,
will be due Friday, Oct 18th,
3 pm paper #
2: on any topic in Part 2, will be due
on Thursday, Nov 14th paper #
3: on any topic making critical use of
both Rawls and Taylor – on or before Mon, Dec 16th, 4 pm Students
are invited to write on any topic of interest within these
specifications. In case they are
helpful, some possible topics will be suggested for the first paper (and for
the other papers, too, on request). Any
changes to these deadlines (eg for paper # 3) will be announced in class and
listed on the course web page. There is
an additional deadline. As noted, one paper
(either the first or the second) by each student will be discussed in the
seminar: this paper must be emailed
to everyone in the seminar by midnight on the Sunday before the Tuesday class
in which it will be discussed. The
paper may be revised for grading after that date if the student wishes.
The
objectives of this course are to provide each student with an opportunity (1)
To understand the main works and approaches
of the field; (2)
to appreciate alternatives to these
approaches; (3)
to articulate and develop their own views on
these subjects, and (4)
to enhance their skills of critical writing
and oral presentation Schedule Revisions: The seminar on Oct 1 will end early and may
begin early; and there will be no seminar on Tuesday, Oct 7 (this session
will be rescheduled at the convenience of the students) . All readings are required and should be digested unless listed otherwise
(eg as “recommended). “cp”
means the work is in the course pack; “web” means the work is available
online . A rough guide to length is indicated beside
each article. Part 1.
Introduction: Some Basic Questions and Principles Sept 10 – Organizational
Meeting and Introduction: Is There An Obligation To Obey The Law? Reading
Note: The reading for Oct 8 (Kloppenberg, Reading
Obama ch 2) can be read anytime. If you want to break it up, you might read
pp 85-106 and then pp 106-49 Sept 17 – Liberty,
Legitimacy, and Authority 6 Selections from Plato, Crito [web] 6 Selections from Hobbes’ Leviathan, chs
13 and 17 [web] 13 Pocklington,
“Democracy and the Obligation to Obey the Law” [cp] 7 Selections
from J. S.Mill:
On Liberty [web] 10 Berlin,
"Two Concepts of Liberty", pp 1-10 and 29-32 (Introd’n
and ss 1,2,8)
[web] 18 Feinberg,
“Hard Cases for the Harm Principle”
[web] 9 Decisions of the Supreme
Court in R. v. Sharpe (possession of child pornography) [web] (69) recommended: Skinner, “A Third Concept of Liberty” [web]
recommended: Ripstein,
“Beyond the Harm Principle” [web] Sept
24 - The
Analysis of Rights and Possible Principles: (1) Utilitarianism; (2) Human Rights 7 Selections
from J. S.Mill:
Utilitarianism [web] 17 Sandel, “The Greatest Happiness Principle” from
Justice, 31-48 [cp] 3 Carmichael,
“Rights and Human Rights” [web] 13 Jones,
“Forms of Right” [cp] 4 Selections from Locke’s
Second Treatise, chs 2 and 7 [web] 10 Pocklington,
“Against
Inflating Human Rights”
[web] 15 Jones,
Justifying Human Rights [cp] (69) recommended: Hart “Are There any Natural
Rights?” difficult [web] Oct 1 - NB early start,
5:15 -- More Possible Principles: (3) Libertarianism (Nozick); (4) Equality 14 Nozick, “Distributive Justice” just pp 45-61 (stop at “Sen’s
argument”) [web] 20 Williams,
“The Idea of Equality” [web] 8 for
illustration: Decisions of the Supreme Court in Rodriguez v BC (euthanasia)
[web] (42) recommended: Taylor, “Atomism”
(difficult) [cp] recommended: Skinner. “The
Paradoxes of Political Liberty” [web] recommended:
Anderson,
“What is the Point of Equality?” esp pp 287-9, 312-37) [web] seminar paper:
Erica
Woolf commentary: Kelta Coomber Oct 8 - Test Cases and Problems of Application 65 Kloppenberg, Reading Obama, ch 2 – pp 85-149 (“Universalism
to Particularism”). Plus
the 3 seminar papers seminar papers:
(1) Kelta
Coomber, (2)
Andrew
Douglas, (3) Michael Mendoza commentaries: (1) Fizza Kulvi (2) Erica Woolf (3) Sean Graham Part 2. John Rawls: A Theory of Justice ►Essay # 1 due: Fri, Oct
18th, in the General Office (3 pm)
(note change) Oct 15 – Rawls’ A Theory of
Justice (1):
The Principles and Conception of Justice 10 pp 1-10 (stop here) of Freeman, “John Rawls” in
The Cambridge Companion [web] 10 Rawls, A Theory of Justice, sections 1-4,
11[web] [earlier
listed as cp] 23 Nagel,
“Rawls and Liberalism”, Cambridge Companion, 62-85 [web] 16 Sandel, “Two Principles of Justice” [web] [earlier listed as cp] (59) recommended: Audard, John Rawls, pp 89-119 (sections 3-6 in
ch 2) [web] seminar paper: Joe Byram commentary:
Michael
Mendoza Oct 22 – Rawls’
A Theory of Justice
(2): The Argument and Conception of
Community
8 Rawls, “The
Reasoning:”, A Theory of Justice, section 26)
[web] [earlier
listed as cp] 18 pp 10-28 of Freeman, “John Rawls” in The
Cambridge Companion to Rawls [web] 32 Audard, John Rawls,
pp 123- 55 (sections 1-3 in ch 3) [web] (58) seminar
paper: Shahab Habibi commentary: Andrew Cisna Oct 29 - Alternatives & Criticisms
(1) : Communitarianism and The Capabilities Approach 16 Sandel,
“The Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self” [web] 13 Nussbaum,
“Capabilities
and Social Justice” [web] 3 pp 217-20 of Sen, “Equality of What?” [web] 24 Blythe, “Life Chances: An
Equality Concern” [web]
8 on later
developments in Rawls: Freeman, “Public Reason”, pp 37-44 in Cambridge
Companion [web] (64) recommended: Mulhal -Swift, “Rawls &
Communitarianism”, Cambridge Companion, pp 460-75 [web] seminar paper: Andrew Cisna commentary: Andrew Douglas Part 3. The Good Society: Split
Sessions on Charles Taylor and Public Values Each of the remaining sessions
will be divided between careful consideration of some of Charles Taylor’s
work and – separately – analysis of selected issues that grow out of the
course material considered thus far.
Each session will begin with a discussion of the Taylor selection,
usually for 30-45 minutes. Then we
will turn to the main topic. You
should see these as split sessions: there will often be little direct
relation between the Taylor selection and the main topic (although the hope
is that such relations will emerge over time)
Nov 5 - Pot-pourri (a mixed bag of sub-topics) 18 Taylor,
Sources of the Self, sections 1.1 - 1.3,
and 1.5 (pp 3-14, 19-24) [cp] 8 Freeman, “Public Reason”, pp 37-44 in Cambridge
Companion [web] 8 Freeman, “The Law of Peoples”, pp 44-51 in Cambridge
Companion [web] 12 Macpherson, “Old and New Dimensions of
Democracy” (Real World, ch 1) [cp] 9 Simpson, Three Articles on Health Care in
Canada [web] (55) recommended:
Williams, “Realism and Moralism in Political Theory” (difficult)[web] Nussbaum, “Beyond the
social contract: capabilities and global justice” [web] Peter
Singer, “The Singer
Solution to World Poverty”,
[web] Chaoulli v Quebec (Supreme Court decision on private
health insurance) [web] seminar paper:
Fizza Kulvi commentary:
Jackson Sawatzky Nov 12
– Mid-Term Break ►Essay # 2 due: Thurs, Nov 14th Nov 19 - Public Goods vs Market Choice: the
fairness and corruption arguments 21 Taylor,
Sources of the Self, sections
2.2 and 2.3 (pp 32-52) [cp] 45 Sandel & critics, “How Markets Crowd Out Morals” Boston Review 2012, 14-30 [web]
(66) recommended:
Sandel, “Limits of Markets” (two lectures)
[web] seminar paper: Will Kujala commentary:
Shahab Habibi Nov 26 - Justice and
Citizenship: Multiculturalism
(revised topic)
14 Taylor,
Sources of the Self, section 3.2 (pp 62-75)
[cp] 14 Taylor, “The Politics of
Recognition” [cp] 18 Panopalis, “Moral Agency and the Demand for
Recognition” [web] 13 Kymlicka, “Freedom
and Culture” (Multicultural Citizenship,
pp 80-93) [web] (59) seminar
paper: Sean Graham commentary:
Joe Byram Dec 3 - Conclusion: Political Liberalism,
Justice, and the Good Society This concluding session will contrast Rawls’ and Taylor’s approaches,
using cultural authenticity and multiculturalism as a test case. 27 Taylor, Sources
of the Self, sections3.3 and 4.1-4.2 (pp 75-98) [cp]
8 review Freeman, “Public Reason”, pp 37-44 in Cambridge
Companion [web] 12 Larmore, “Public Reason”, Cambridge Companion, pp
380-91 [web] 13 Rawls,
Justice as Fairness, A Restatement: ss 9, 10, 26
(pp 26-32, 89-94) [cp] (52) seminar papers: Jackson Sawatzky &
Michelle Hawk commentaries: Will Kujala & Yasemin Sari ►Essay # 3 -- on any
topic making critical use of both Rawls and Taylor – Due on or before Mon,
Dec 16th, 4 pm
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