Bachelor
2024/2025
Philosophy
Type:
Compulsory course (International Program 'International Relations and Global Studies')
Area of studies:
International Relations
Delivered by:
Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
When:
1 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies:
distance learning
Online hours:
30
Open to:
students of one campus
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
4
Contact hours:
48
Course Syllabus
Abstract
This one semester course provides an Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy for first year International Relations students. The objective of the course is to familiarise the students with the main ideas and themes of Western Philosophy from the Ancient Greeks to the present day with a special focus on moral, social and political problems. The course also touches upon the ideas in metaphysics, ontology and religious philosophy, but only to extent that these conceptual areas illuminate moral, ethical and political issues. The course aims to broaden the students background to help prepare them for more advanced courses
Learning Objectives
- provide an introduction to the main issues that modern political theory raises; examine the meaning and justification of important concepts such as justice, freedom, rights, sovereignty and etc.; explore rival theoretical frameworks such as natural law, social contract theories, utilitarianism, egalitarianism, communitarianism and Marxism. develop critical skills necessary to examine and assess complex theoretical arguments and assess their strengths and weaknesses;
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Characterizes the key ideas of Greek thinkers from Thales to Aristotle, including: the debate around virtue, justice, truth and the possibility of rational explanation of the universe.
- Characterizes Political philosophy as a field of study that investigates the fundamental questions about the nature of power, state, and justice. To see the complex of ideas, theories, and ideologies that have shaped political systems throughout history.
- Characterizes the key ideas of the Renaissance; the Rationalist Tradition including the epistemological positions of Descartes; the major British Empiricists, including the epistemological positions of Hobbes and Locke.
- Analyzes and compares different approaches towards the social contract theories.
- Characterizes the key ideas of Hume and Utilitarianism, Rousseau and the French revolution. To characterise the key ideas of the European Enlightenment, primarily of Immanuel Kant, including his contributions to epistemology and moral philosophy.
- Characterizes the key ideas of Hegel, Marx and Nietzsche, including their contribution to moral and political philosophy, and to the emerging tradition of Social Theory.
- Analyzes the key ideas of the major philosophical movements before and after the Second World War.
Course Contents
- What is Political Philosophy?
- Early Modern Philosophy
- Philosophy of the Enlightenment
- Philosophy in the XIXth century
Assessment Elements
- SeminarsAll students are expected to attend every class and participate by contributing to the in-class discussions, participating in group projects. The statements and answers to the questions must contain well formulated arguments that clearly show your position. To do this, students must demonstrate a quality preparation for the seminar: read all the assigned literature and be ready to perform your critical evaluation of it.
- ТестыQuizzes are short tests aimed to verify how the material was learned and understood. During the course there will be 6 quizzes according to the thematic blocks of the course. Logically, you will have quizzes at that seminar at which the thematic block ends. Your instructor can help (upon the request) you with the material that needs to be reviewed prior to the quiz.
- DebatesMy idea is that through debates it is easier to learn how to present ideas clearly and persuasively. Debates Thesis: ✓ “Machiavelli laid the foundation of modern political thought (secular state)”
- ExamYou will have two questions to answer. One of the questions will be from the ‘classical and early modern philosophy’ block and the second one will be from the ‘From the Enlightenment to XXth century’ block. You will know the list of the questions prior to the exam. But you will not know the precise question you are to answer during the exam. You will have a blind choice of the exam questions, 40 minutes to get ready for the answer within the classroom, and 10-15 minutes to present your final answer to the instructor. The full list of the questions will be available by 20.11.24.
Interim Assessment
- 2024/2025 2nd module0.2 * Debates + 0.3 * Exam + 0.15 * Seminars + 0.15 * Seminars + 0.1 * Тесты + 0.1 * Тесты
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Aristotle, Jonathan Barnes, & Anthony Kenny. (2014). Aristotle’s Ethics : Writings From the Complete Works - Revised Edition. Princeton University Press.
- History of Western philosophy, Russell, B., 1996
- Niccolo Machiavelli. (2010). The Prince. [N.p.]: Digireads.com Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1558963
- Plato. (2009). The Republic. The Floating Press.
- Political Philosophy : An Historical Introduction / White, M — New York: Oxford University Press USA - OSO, 2012. — 442 с. — ISBN 9780199860517. — URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=978154&query=political+philosophy (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.
- Social theory : a historical introduction, Callinicos, A., 2007
- The Oxford Handbook of the History of Political Philosophy / Klosko, G — Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. — 856 с. — ISBN 9780199238804. — URL: https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199238804.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199238804 (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- A History of Modern Political Thought: The Question of Interpretation / Browning, G — Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. — 439 с. — ISBN 9780199682287. — URL: https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199682287.001.0001/acprof-9780199682287?rskey=ditXGf&result=1 (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.
- Hegel: Political Writings / Hegel, G — Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. — 415 с. — ISBN 9780511152108. — URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=202387&query= (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.
- On Liberty / Mill, J — New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013. — 263 с. — ISBN 9780300130164. — URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3420105&query=mill+on+liberty (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.
- Philosophy in the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds : A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, Volume 2 / Adamson, P — Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. — 455 с. — ISBN 9780191043895. — URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=2101590&query=Adamson%2C+Peter (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.
- The Communist Manifesto / Marx, K — New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012. — 229 с. — ISBN 9780300123012. — URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3420865&query=Marx%2C+Karl (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.
- The Social Contract and The First and Second Discourses / Rousseau, J-J — New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002. — 327 с. — ISBN 9780300129434. — URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3420030&query= (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.
- Two Treatises of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration / Locke, J — New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. — 377 с. — ISBN 9780300129182. — URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3420119&query= (дата обращения: 30.08.2019). — Текст : электронный.