Outline

Overview

This unit, taught by leading international visiting philosophers, will train students in latest philosophical methods, focusing on a cutting-edge debate in a particular field of philosophical research. Topics will vary from year to year, including history of philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics and logic, philosophy of language, ethics, aesthetics, and political philosophy. Students should contact the Philosophy Honours Coordinator for further details.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PHIL4113
Academic unit	Philosophy
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Kristie Miller, kristie.miller@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Essay n/a	100%	-	5000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

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.

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.

Learning support

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes
Weekly	Two hour Seminar Thurs 2-4pm. The first 3 sessions will be devoted to introductory lectures to be followed by seminar style discussion of papers. Location: Quad S 441	Seminar (2 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

READING REQUIREMENTS

This list is in no way implied to be comprehensive: it is comprised only of the books that I have come across or found useful myself. In recent years, the scholarship on Habermas even in the English-speaking world has exploded. This bibliography makes no attempt to list the enormous number of journal articles now available on various aspects of the Habermas oeuvre.

Habermas. J. Theory of Communicative Action: Vol 1 Reason and the Rationalisation of Society 1984 Vol 2: The Critique of Functionalist Reason Polity, 1987

The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity Polity, 1987

The New Conservatism MIT, 1989

Moral Consciousness and Communicative Action MIT, 1990

Post-Metaphysical Thinking MIT, 1992

Justification and Application: Remarks on Discourse Ethics MIT, 1993

Between Facts and Norms MIT 1996

The Inclusion of the Other MIT 1998

On the Pragmatics of Communication MIT 1998

A Berlin Republic: Writings on Germany, Polity 1998

On the Pragmatics of Social Interaction MIT, 2001

The Postnational Constellation Polity, 2001

The Liberating Power of Symbols: Philosophical Essays MIT, 2001

Religion and Rationality MIT, 2002

The Future of Human Nature Polity, 2003

Truth and Justification MIT, 2003

Time of Transitions Polity, 2006

The Divided West Polity, 2006

With Ratzinger, J. The Dialectics of Secularization: On Reason and Religion Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2006

Between Naturalism and Religion: Philosophical Essays Polity, 2008

Europe; The Faltering Project Polity, 2009

& et al An Awareness of What is Missing: Faith and Reason in a Post-Secular Age Polity, 2010

The Crisis of the European Union: A Response Polity, Cambridge, 2012

The Lure of Technocracy Polity Cambridge, 2015

Post-Metaphysical Thinking II Polity, Cambridge 2017

Philosophical Introductions: Five Approaches to Communicative Reason Polity, Cambridge, 2018

Auch eine Geschichte der Philosophie 1& 2,2019

Barrodi G (Ed) Philosophy in a Time of Terror: Dialogues with Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida University of Chicago Press, 2003

Warren, E P. (Ed) Cardozo Law Review Habermas on Law and Democracy: Critical Exchanges Parts I &2 Vol 17, no 4/5, March 1996 Subsequently published as:

Rosenfeld, M. & Arato, A (Ed) Habermas on Law and Democracy: Critical Exchanges, University of California Press, 1998

Number on the German Edition of Faktizitat und Geltung Philosophy and Social Criticism No 14, 1988

Habermas, H. From formal semantics to transcendental pragmatics: Karl-Otto Apel’s original insight Philosophy & Social Criticism, July, 2020

Constellations: A Special Section The Theory of Communicative Action Three Decades After Dec 2013 Vol 20, no 4

Habermas, J. “New” Perspectives For Europe” Social Europe Oct, 2018

Mendieta, E. et al (Ed) The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere Columbia University Press, New York, 2011

Dews P, (Ed) Habermas Autonomy and Solidarity: Interviews with Jürgen Habermas Verso, 1986

Pensky, M. The Past as Future: Jürgen Habermas Interviewed by Michael Haller University of Nebraska Press, 1994

Aboulafia, M. et al (Ed) Habermas and Pragmatism London, Routledge, 2002

Calhoun, C. et al (Ed) Habermas and Religion Polity, Cambridge, 2013

Alexander, J. ‘Habermas's New Critical Theory: Its Promise and Problems’ American Journal of Sociology Vol 91 No 2 Sept 1985 pp400/424

Amesbury, R. Morality and Social Criticsm” The Force of Reason in Discursive Practice Palgrave MacMillan, 2005

Arato, A & Cohen, J. Civil Society and Political Theory MIT, Chapter 5 1992

Arato, A& Joas, H. (Ed) Communicative Action MIT 1991

Baxter, H. Habermas: The Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy Stanford University Press, California, 2011

Baynes, K. The Normative Grounds of Social Criticism: Kant, Rawls, Habermas State University of New York, 1992, Chapters 3, 5 Benhabib, S. Critique, Norm, Utopia Columbia Part 2, 1986 Benhabib, S & Passerin D'Entreves, M. (Ed) Habermas and the Unfinished Project of Modernity MIT, 1996

Bernstein. R. 'Introduction' to Habermas and Modernity Polity, 1983 Bernstein, J.M. Recovering Ethical Life: Jürgen Habermas and the Future of Critical Theory Routledge, 1995

Bowring, Finn 'Habermas and the Pathologies of Modernity' Telos 106

Brady, J.S. 'No Contest? Assessing the Agonistic Critiques of Jürgen Habermas's Theory of the Public Sphere' Philosophy and Social Criticism Vol 30; No 3, 2004, pp331-354

Calhoun, C. (Ed) Habermas and the Public Sphere MIT, 1992

Chambers, S. Reasonable Democracy: Jürgen Habermas and the Politics of Discourse Cornell University Press, 1996

Cooke M, Language and Reason: A Study of Habermas's Pragmatics MIT, 1992

Dallmayr, F. Critical Encounters: Between Philosophy and Politics University of Notre Dame, 1987 Chapter 3

Dallmayr, F, Between Freiburg and Frankfurt; Towards a Critical Ontology University of Massachusetts Press, 1991, Chapter 5

Dews P. Habermas: A Critical Reader Blackwell, 1999

Duvenage, P. Habermas and Aesthetic Politics 2003

Hansen, E, The Construction and the Place of Silence in the Public Sphere Philosophy and Social Criticism Vol 44, No Dec 2018

Farid, A. 'Farewell to Justification: Habermas, Human Rights and Universalist Justification' Philosophy and Social Criticism Vol 30, No 1, pp73-96

Hahn, Lewis Edwin. Perspectives of Habermas Open Press, 2001

Heath, J. Communicative Action and Rational Choice MIT, 2001

Hedrick, T. Rawls and Habermas: Reason, Pluralism, and the Claims of Political Philosophy Stanford University Press, 2010

Honneth, A. The Critique of Power MIT, Chapters7, 8, 9

Hoy.D.C. & Mc Carthy, T. Critical Theory Blackwell, 1994, Part 1

Ingram, D. Habermas And the Dialectic of Reason Yale University Press, 1987

Ingram, D. Critical Theory and Philosophy Paragon House, New York, 1990, Chapters 6, 7, 8

Ingram, D Reason, History & Politics: The Communitarian Grounds of Legitimation in the Modern Age SUNY, 1995

Ingram, D. Habermas: Introduction and Analysis Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 2010

Johnson, P. Habermas: Rescuing the Public Sphere, Routledge, 2006

Lafont, C. The Linguistic Turn in Hermeneutic Philosophy MIT, 1999

Mahoney, J. 'Rights With Out Dignity? Some Critical Reflections on Habermas's Procedural Model of Law and Democracy' Philosophy and Social Criticism Vol 27 No 3, 2001 Sage, pp21-40

Matistik, M B. Jürgen Habermas: A Philosophical-Political Profile Rowman &Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland, 2001

Martinez, D. ‘ Habermas’s Discourse Ethics and Hegel’s Critique of Kant: Agent Neutrality, Ideal Role Taking and rational Discourse Philosophy & Social Critiicism Vol 44 , No 9, 2018

Mc Carthy, T. The Critical Theory of Jürgen Habermas Hutchinson, 1978

Mc Carthy, T. Ideals and Illusions MIT, 1991, Part 2 Reconstruction and Critical Theory

Mc Cormick, J.P. Weber, Habermas, and Transformations of the European State: Constitutional. Social, and Supernational Democracy Cambridge University Press, 2007

Meehan, J. (Ed) Feminists Read Habermas Routledge, 1995

For more by feminist critics see recent works by Benhabib, Maria Pia Lara, Jodi Dean and Marie Fleming.

Morris, M. Rethinking The Communicative Turn: Adorno, Habermas and the Problem of Communicative Freedom State University of New York, 2001

Müller-Doohm. S. Habermas A Biography Polity, 2016

O'Neill, S. Impartiality in Context: Grounding Justice in a Pluralist

World State University of New York, 1997, Part 3

Omid, A.P.S. Democracy. Power and Legitimacy: The Critical Theory of Jürgen Habermas University of Toronto, 2003

Outhwaite, W. Habermas: A Critical Introduction Stanford, 1994

Owen, D.S. Between Reason and History: Habermas and the Idea of Progress State University of New York, 2002

Parkin, Andrew P,' On the Practical Relevance of Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action' Social Theory and Practice, Vol 22, No3, Fall, 1996

Parmaksiz, U. Religious Language in the Post-Secular Public Sphere

A falsification Model Philosophy & Social Criticism, Feb 2021

Pusey, M Jürgen Habermas Tavistock, 1987

Rajchman, J, Philosophical Essays Columbia University Press, 1991,

Part 1 Chapter 2

Rasmussen, D. M, Reading Habermas Blackwell, 1990

Roderick, R. Habermas and the Foundations of Critical Theory St Martin's Press, 1986

Rehg, W, Insight and Solidarity; The Discourse Ethics of Jürgen Habermas University of California, 1994

Roderick, R. Habermas and the Foundations of Critical Theory MacMillan, London, 1986

Sitton, J, Habermas and Contemporary Society Palgrave, McMillan,

2003

Spector, M.G. Habermas: An Intellectual Biography Cambridge University Press, 2010

Strydom, P.’ On Habermas’s Differentiation of Rightness from Truth: Can an Achievement Concept Without Validity Concept? Philosophy and Social Criticism Dec 2018

Swindal. J. Reflection Revisited; Jürgen Habermas's Discursive Theory of Truth Fordham University Press, 1999

Von Schomberg, R& Baynes, K (Ed) Discourse and Democracy: Essays on Habermas's Between Facts and Norms State University of New York, 2002

Wallulis, J. The Hermeneutics of Life History: Personal Achievement and History in Gadamer, Habermas and Erikson North Western University Press, Illinois 1990

White, S. K. The Recent Work of Jürgen Habermas Cambridge, 1988

White. S. K. (Ed) The Cambridge Companion of Habermas Cambridge, 1995

Wiggerhaus, R. The Frankfurt School: Its History, Theories, and Political Significance, Polity, 1994

Wiggerhaus, R. Jürgen Habermas Rowohlt, 2004

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 a detailed knowledge of Habermas' post TCA social and political philosophy.
LO2. develop skills in argument analysis, conceptual analysis, and textual interpretation.
LO3. develop historical perspective on developments in the philosophy of society.

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

Responding to student feedback

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

This unit changes topic and seminar leader each semester, so feedback on the previous semester usually cannot inform teaching in the following semester.

Additional information

Lecture notes will be available online:www.myhabermas.blogspot.com

UNIT DESCRIPTION

This is a general introduction to Habermas's work since his 1981 magnum opus Theory of Communicative Action. It will involve the reading and discussion of a selection of excerpts from main works and essays mainly in the areas of social and political philosophy. It is almost impossible to cover the full spectrum of his recent work in one semester. I have endeavored to select key papers and chapters but, inevitably, these remain a little arbitrary. I'm open to negotiation on the papers if participants have other strong interests.

ORGANISATION

After three sessions of general introduction, the course will settle into a seminar-style with participants taking turns to introduce readings for discussion. I have tried to make the papers manageable but some are still longish. What we want is a short introduction to each paper or chapter highlighting the argument, interpretative difficulties and any problems you think worthy of closer attention. If we all read in this way there should be plenty to discuss and we should all emerge with a better understanding of Habermas' post TCA social and political philosophy.

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.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PHIL4113: Latest Trends: Philosophical Research 1

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect