POLS301-15S1 (C) Semester One 2015

Contemporary Political Theory

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 23 February 2015
End Date: Sunday, 28 June 2015
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 8 March 2015
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 24 May 2015

Description

The study of politics focuses not only on how the political world operates, but also the normative question of how it ought to operate. Is redistribution of wealth justified? Do people have a right to what they earn in the market? Is equality of opportunity possible? Is it desirable? This course examines theories of distributive justice and their implications for economics and markets. Topics covered include: Utilitarianism; Rawls’s theory of justice; Dworkin’s equality of resources; Libertarianism; Universal basic income; Market socialism; Citizenship; and culture and politics.

Course Goals
Academic aims: To foster a detailed critical understanding of a range of arguments in contemporary political philosophy, and the ability to criticise, evaluate, and apply these arguments.

Learning Outcomes

Learning objectives: By the end of the module, students should be able to comprehend and critically analyse complex arguments from contemporary political philosophy, to provide a critical account of them, and to construct and defend their own sustained arguments about major political values.

Learning methods: Lectures are meant to provide students with an overview of the various topics covered in the module, and the material presented in them is by no means to be considered exhaustive. Students are expected to do additional reading for lectures and especially for seminars. Seminars are an extremely important part of the module, and their value depends on students’ active participation in the discussion. This may involve group work and oral or written presentations to the rest of the class. Discussions in, and preparations for, seminars are essential for the understanding of the material in the lectures, and for extending this material.

Prerequisites

15 points at 200 level in POLS or PHIL236 or PHIL239. Students without these prerequisites but with at least a B average in 60 points in appropriate courses may enter the course with the approval of the Head of Department and/or Programme coordinator.

Restrictions

PHIL317, POLS351

Equivalent Courses

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Participation 20% Attendance, active involvment in class & weekly forum question.
Essay 40% (a hypothesis, bibliography & discussion with lecturer by the end of the Week 4, with full essay due end of Week 10, where Week 10 is the 4th week of term 2)
Final Exam 40%

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

Kymlicka, Will; Contemporary political philosophy : an introduction ; 2nd ed; Oxford University Press, 2002.

Additional Course Outline Information

Where to submit and collect work

Essay boxes are located on the 5th floor Locke, outside the POLS office, Locke 501.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,393.00

International fee $5,825.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All POLS301 Occurrences

  • POLS301-15S1 (C) Semester One 2015