Fall 2018 - POL 210 D100

Introduction to Political Philosophy (3)

Class Number: 6864

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2018: Mon, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 6, 2018
    Thu, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    POL 100 or 101W or permission of department.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An examination of concepts presented by the major political thinkers of the western world. The course surveys those ideas which remain at the root of our political institutions, practices and ideals against a background of the periods in which they were expressed. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

French thinker Michel Foucault was once asked why he was interested in politics. He replied in dramatic fashion: "why shouldn't I be interested?...what blindness, what deafness, what density of ideology would have to weigh me down to prevent me from being interested in what is probably the most crucial subject to our existence, that is to say the society in which we live, the economic relations within which it functions, and the system of power which defines the regular forms and the regular permissions and prohibitions of our conduct." The aim of this course is to interrogate these concrete relations, systems, and forms by means of thinking alongside some of the most important and influential political thinkers in the Western tradition. In other words, we are concerned with the history of a field of political concepts that continue to determine the possibilities and limitations of political imagination and practice.

We begin our journey in Classical Greece with Sophocles, Plato, and Aristotle. Here, amidst the vibrant and agonistic democratic culture of Athens, citizens and philosophers formulated and vigorously debated rival conceptions of community, citizenship, freedom, justice, and governance. After a brief discussion of the nature and function of political thought in the Middle Ages, we move on to the Modern era and the contentious rise of Liberal political theory on the European continent. Here, we discuss the social contract tradition using the texts of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In class, we will discuss the rise in this historical period of new conceptions of the state, democracy, right, equality, and freedom. The final section of the course begins with Karl Marx and the emergence of materialist critique as a mode of radical political theory. In this section, we explore the concepts of ideology, class, alienation, resistance, and revolution. This will allow us to end the course by focusing on contemporary modes of emancipatory, feminist, and post-colonial thought.

This course is not simply an exercise in abstract thought. At every stage, we will explore the materiality of concepts; the many ways in which ideas emerge from material conditions as well as the ways in which they have concrete effects upon the world. Students will be urged to think of theory as a toolbox, as something to be used in their daily lives, to enrich their lives, and to open their lives up towards new possibilities.

There will be one 2-hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week.  Tutorials start in week 2.

Grading

  • Short Essay 15%
  • Mid-Term Test 20%
  • Critical Film Review 15%
  • Tutorial Participation 15%
  • Final Exam 35%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

None. All readings will be posted on Canvas.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

The Department of Political Science strictly enforces a policy on plagiarism.
For details, see http://www.sfu.ca/politics/undergraduate/program/related_links.html and click on “Plagiarism and Intellectual Dishonesty” .

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS