Skip to main content
Unit of study_

PHIL4107: Social and Political Philosophy

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit will deepen understanding of core issues in social and political philosophy. Possible topics include social and political justice, the state, freedom, the nature of social and political norms and obligations, rights and human rights, inequality, social and political violence, selfhood in social and political contexts, democratic theory, and social and political justice.

Unit details and rules

Unit code PHIL4107
Academic unit Philosophy
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Alexandre Lefebvre, alex.lefebvre@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Essay
Essay questions provided on May 22nd in class
90% Formal exam period
Due date: 10 Jun 2020 at 23:00

Closing date: 24 Jun 2020
5000wd
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Assignment Weekly
Emailed weekly questions
10% Weekly N/a
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO4 LO3

Assessment summary

Before each seminar, and rather than summarize the readings, students are expected to prepare two questions based on the relevant reading. These questions must be emailed to me (alex.lefebvre@sydney.edu.au) by midnight of the night before class (i.e., Thursday night). The questions will be counted, not graded. But to count they must reflect a real engagement with the relevant reading. (E.g., to ask when reading Montaigne, “Why does he talk about himself so much?” is not a real engagement. A good question is: “In what ways does Montaigne’s practice of constant self-examination and self-writing serve to reinforce his ideas of tolerance?”) Each set of questions received on time will be counted as 1% towards your final grade, up to a maximum of 10%.

Assessment criteria

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.

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.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction. Read: Lear, Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation, pp 1-52 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 02 Classical Liberalism. Read: Mill, On Liberty Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 03 On Cruelty. Read: Montaigne, Essays: To The Reader 1.1 By Diverse Means We Arrive At The Same End 1.2 Of Sadness 1.3 Our Feelings Reach Out Beyond Us 1.4 How The Soul Discharges Its Passions On False Objects When The True Are Wanting 1.18 Of Fear 1.56 Of Prayers 2.2 Of Drunkenness 2.6 Of Practice 2.11 Of Cruelty 3.5 On Some Verses Of Virgil [Selections 812-817, PDF = 669-673 3.11 Of Cripples Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 04 Skepticism and Irony. Read: Montaigne, Essays, 2.12 Apology For Raymond Sebond Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 05 The Self. Read: Montaigne, Essays: 1.8 Of Idleness 1.20 That To Philosophize Is To Learn To Die 3.4 Of Diversion 3.7 Of The Disadvantage Of Greatness 3.13 Of Experience Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 06 Relationships. Read: Montaigne, Essays: 1.9 Of Liars 1.28 Of Friendship 1.39 Of Solitude 2.15 That Our Desire Increases By Difficulty 2.17 Of Presumption [Selections 581-585, 595-596, 604-607, PDF = 478-481, 490-491, 497-500] 3.2 Of Repentance 3.3 On Three Kinds Of Association 3.10 Of Husbanding Your Will Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 07 On Tolerance. Read: Montaigne, Essays: 1.13 Ceremony Of Interviews Between Kings 1.14 That The Taste Of Good And Evil Depends In Large Part On The Opinion We Have Of Them 1.21 Of The Power Of The Imagination 1.23 Of Custom, And Not Easily Changing An Accepted Law 1.27 If Is Folly To Measure The True And False By Our Own Capacity 1.31 Of Cannibals 1.37 On Cato The Younger 3.6 Of Coaches 3.8 Of The Art Of Discussion Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 08 Justice as Fairness. Read: Rawls, Theory of Justice: Preface for the Revised Edition Preface Chapter 1, Justice as Fairness Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 09 Freedom and Equality. Read: Rawls, Theory of Justice: Chapter 2, The Principles of Justice Chapter 3, The Original Position Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 10 The Rational Agent. Read: Rawls, Theory of Justice: Chapter 7, Goodness as Rationality Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 11 The Sense of Justice. Read: Rawls, A Theory of Justice: Chapter 8, The Sense of Justice Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 12 The Good of Justice. Read: Rawls, Theory of Justice: Chapter 9, The Good of Justice Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

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.

If a unit of study has a participation mark, your attendance may influence this mark. For more information on attendance, see https://sydney.edu.au/handbooks/arts/rules/faculty_resolutions_arts.shtml

 

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

Reading for week 1 (that is, the intro class) is J. Lear, Radical Hope, Chapter 1. Available through Canvas.

Reading for week 2 is J.S. Mill, On Liberty. Available through Canvas

Readings for weeks 3-7 is Michel de Montaigne, Essays. You must use Donald Frame’s translation. I encourage you to purchase this edition: https://www.bookdepository.com/Complete-Works-Michel-de-Montaigne/9781400040216?ref=grid-view&qid=1580622710978&sr=1-1

I will, however, post a PDF of an earlier edition of Frame’s translation should you not want to purchase the book. (But if you can, buy it and treat yourself! We’re going to be reading this book for a long time together.)

Readings for weeks 8-12 is John Rawls, A Theory of Justice. Available through Canvas. You must use the revised edition. (Don’t use the edition with the green cover! That’s the first edition.) 

If you prefer a hardcopy, you can purchase it here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Theory-Justice-John-Rawls/dp/0674000781/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=theory+of+justice&qid=1580622744&sr=8-1

 

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.

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

  • LO1. demonstrate advanced understanding of latest philosophical methods
  • LO2. demonstrate in-depth understanding of the key texts, concepts, issues and positions in the relevant field of philosophical research
  • LO3. demonstrate advanced disciplinary competence in fundamental philosophical skills of conceptual analysis, critical thinking, logical reasoning and argument
  • LO4. communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely, in appropriate academic style

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

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

Here is the unit of study description for 2020: 

 

Liberalism is the main social and political ideology of the modern era. Its best known doctrines, such as the rule of law, individual rights, division of powers, and internationalism are mainstays of advanced democracies around the world. Moreover, its ideas of individualism, privacy, tolerance, reciprocity, pluralism, and irony define the culture, selfhood, and psychology of our times.  In this seminar we will undertake an in-depth study of two philosophers who stand at the beginning, and perhaps the end, of the liberal tradition. We will spend five weeks with Michel de Montaigne’s Essays (1588, Frame translation) – one of the funniest books of philosophy ever written – to explore themes of skepticism, friendship, tolerance, cruelty, and selfhood at the dawn of the liberal age. With John Rawls, we will dedicate five weeks to A Theory of Justice (1971) and examine his influential ideas of justice, impartiality, fairness, merit, self-interest, moral education, shame, and love. Guest appearances will also be made by Jonathan Lear and John Stuart Mill. The goal of the seminar is to achieve a better understanding of liberalism in general, and especially as it inform our own personal sense of what makes for a decent and legitimate polity, and a meaningful and enjoyable life.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this unit.

Work, health and safety

There are no specific WHS requirements for this unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.