PHIL2635: Semester 1, 2023

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Units PHIL2635 Semester 1 2023 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

PHIL2635: Contemporary Political Philosophy

Overview

This unit offers a critical introduction to the major schools of thought in contemporary political philosophy. The unit covers the traditional problem of political authority and legitimacy, the nature of political values, the relationship between social institutions such as marriage and the family and the political life of a community, and the justification for democratic institutions. The inclusive ambitions of liberal political theory will be confronted with objections from thinkers motivated by concern with various aspects of social and political exclusion based on categories such as citizenship status, gender, cultural difference, and race.

Details

Academic unit	Philosophy
Unit code	PHIL2635
Unit name	Contemporary Political Philosophy
Session, year ?	Semester 1, 2023
Attendance mode	Normal day
Location	Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Credit points	6

Enrolment rules

Prohibitions ?	PHIL2535 or PHIL3535
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 1000 level from any combination of Philosophy, Government, International Relations, Politics
Corequisites ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff and contact details

Coordinator	Ryan Cox, ryan.cox@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Ryan Cox , ryan.cox@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Ryan Cox , ryan.cox@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Tutorial Paper A short tutorial paper presented in your tutorial.	10%	Multiple weeks	1x500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation A participation grade based on participation in lectures and tutorials.	10%	Ongoing	All semester
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay An essay on a topic from the first part of the course.	40%	Week 08 Due date: 17 Apr 2023 at 23:59	1x2000wd
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay An essay on a topic from the second part of the course.	40%	Week 13 Due date: 26 May 2023 at 23:59	1x2000wd
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment for this unit consists of two essays, a tutorial paper, and participation.

The first essay will be written on a topic from the first part of the unit and will be due a little over halfway though the course.
The second essay will be written on a topic from the second part of the course and will be due at the end of the course.
The tutorial paper will be related to planning for the second essay.
A participation grade will be determined on the basis of participation in lectures, tutorials, and the Canvas discussion board.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Special consideration

If you experience short-term circumstances beyond your control, such as illness, injury or misadventure or if you have essential commitments which impact your preparation or performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	What is Political Philosophy?	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	The Common Good and Utilitarianism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Rawlsian Contractarianism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Libertarianism and Egalitarianism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Contemporary Egalitarianism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Legitimating Political Power and Authority	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Which democracy?	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Why democracy?	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Educational Justice	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Challenges to Liberalism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Borders and Justice	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	The Ethics of Capitalism and Socialism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Indigenous Rights	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

The following required readings will all be included in a paper reader for this unit. Recommended and further reading will be provided on Canvas and through the Library's reading list system, Leganto.

Simmons Political Philosophy. Ch. 1 “Morals and Politics”
Bird An Introduction to Political Philosophy. Chs. 2–4
Rawls “On Justice and Fairness”. Selections from Rawls A Theory of Justice. In Clayton and Williams Social Justice. (Ch. 3)
Nozick “An Entitlement Theory”. Selections from Nozick Anarchy, State and Utopia. In Clayton and Williams Social Justice. (Ch. 4)
Arneson “Equality and Equal Opportunity for Welfare.”
Anderson “Against Luck Egalitarianism: What is the Point of Equality”. Selections from Anderson “What Is the Point of Equality?”. In Clayton and Williams Social Justice. (Ch. 7)
Simmons “Justification and Legitimacy.”
Gutmann “Democracy.”
Gutmann and Thompson Why Deliberative Democracy? Ch. 1
Kolodny “Rule over None I.”
Brighouse and Swift “The Place of Educational Equality in Educational Justice.”
Hampton “Liberalism, Communitarianism, and Postliberal Theory.”
Okin “Political Liberalism, Justice, and Gender.”
Ferracioli “Liberal Self-Determination, Discrimination, and the Right to Exclude.”
Halliday and Thrasher The Ethics of Capitalism. Chs. 4&5
Satz Why Some Things Should Not Be for Sale. Ch. 4
Waldron “Superseding Historic Injustice.”
Ivison Can Liberal States Accommodate Indigenous Peoples? Preface & Ch. 1

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University’s graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate and understanding of the central concepts of normative political theory including legitimacy, justice, equality, liberty, and democracy
LO2. apply the central concepts of normative political theory to contemporary political issues including gender equality, markets, immigration and borders, educational justice, and indigenous rights.
LO3. demonstrate a capacity for independent and critical thinking on both theoretical and applied issues in normative philosophy philosophy

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Closing the loop

No significant changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Additional information

Additional costs

Students are required to purchase a paper reader for this unit.

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Current students

Overview

Details

Enrolment rules

Teaching staff and contact details

Assessment

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Special consideration

Academic integrity

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Closing the loop

Additional information

Additional costs

Disclaimer

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