Contemporary Political Theories
Module Code: PO4610
Module Name: Contemporary Political Theories
- ECTS Weighting: 15
- Semester/Term Taught: Michaelmas + Hilary Term
- Contact Hours: 1 lecture per week; 1 tutorial per fortnight
- Module Personnel: Lecturer - Professor Peter Stone
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, it is expected that students should have:
- Acquired a detailed understanding of the leading theories of justice in contemporary political theory.
- Become familiar with the basic concepts of political theory—not only justice but also related concepts such as rights, democracy, and most importantly liberalism.
- Developed skill at constructing, analyzing, and critiquing political arguments.
- Applied argumentative skill both in the classroom and in written coursework.
- Reflected upon the implications of political ideas for life outside of the classroom
Module Learning Aims
Politics, as the noted political scientist Harold Lasswell once said, is all about who gets what, when, and how. It is about distribution of benefits and burdens of all kinds, whether they be rights, liberties, opportunities, material goods, or plain old-fashioned cash. Anyone concerned with politics must therefore be concerned about the principles that govern, or ought to govern, this distribution. These principles are principles of justice. It is these principles that provide the focus of the module.
Module Content
This module will consider the problem of identifying and applying principles of justice. The first half of the module will introduce students to three of the leading contemporary schools of thought regarding justice—utilitarianism, liberal egalitarianism, and libertarianism. It will consider their respective advantages and disadvantages. In particular, it will consider how well each school succeeds in offering a liberal account of justice—that is, an account capable of accommodating the many diverse perspectives on the good life that people in modern societies possess. The second half of the module will consider the boundaries of justice—the lines which demarcate the range of application of a theory of justice. For example, does justice apply across national borders? Is there such a thing as global justice? If so, does it demand the same thing as justice within national borders, or does it demand something different? This part of the module will consider this and other boundary problems regarding justice.
Recommended Reading List
There will be six books assigned for the course:
- Bentham, Jeremy. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1907.
- Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty and Other Essays. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
- Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State, and Utopia. New York: Basic Books, 1974.
- Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice. Rev. Ed. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 1999.
- Stone, Peter. The Luck of the Draw: The Role of Lotteries in Decision Making. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
- Walzer, Michael. Spheres of Justice: A Defense of Pluralism and Equality. New York: Basic Books, 1983.
Bentham is available online through Trinity’s library. The other two books are available through the library. All three books are in print and available for sale in the usual places (Amazon, etc.).
The remainder of the readings will be journal articles available online through the usual sources (JSTOR, etc.). Most of these readings will come from Philosophy and Public Affairs, one of the most well-regarded political theory journals in the world. Please make sure you are able to access these articles. If you don’t know how to do it, the library holds workshops and the like to show you how. It is your responsibility to make sure you are able to access all course readings.
Assessment Details
There will be 2 essays counting for 20% each. The first essay will be due on the last day of Michaelmas Term. The second essay will be due on the last day of Hilary Term.
There will also be one 3-hour examination after the course is complete counting for 60% of overall grade.