MELIKSAH UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
(POLS 201) POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY COURSE SYLLABUS
FALL 2015
OFFICE HOURS: 1: 15 – 2: 15 PM on Thursday
OFFICE: School of Economics and Administrative Sciences Building, Room: 308
CLASS DAY AND HOUR: Thursday / 9: 30 – 12: 15
INSTRUCTOR: BULENT UCAR
EMAIL: bucar@meliksah.edu.tr
Description of the
Course:
This course will introduce students to a wide range of topics in
political philosophy. The course will present a general overview of
major political theories from Plato till the 19th century. Since it is an
introductory course for undergraduate students, the main theme is to
familiarize students of political science with the basic theoretical
concepts of the field. Some of these topics will include; the state of
nature, political order, justifying the state, rule of law, liberty,
democracy, distribution of property, and etc.
Even though political philosophy can be seen abstract, this course will
attempt to make the subjects in review relevant to today’s national and
international political issues with in-class student discussions.
Weekly Course Topics:
Week 1: Introduction to the Course
Week 2: The State of Nature
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 6-17 (Till Locke)
Week 3: The State of Nature – Locke, Rousseau and Anarchism
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 17-33 (Till the End of Chapter)
Week 4: Justifying the State
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 34-48 (Till Utilitarianism)
Week 5: Justifying the State – Utilitarianism
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 48-61 (Till the End of Chapter)
Week 6: Who Should Rule?
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 62-84 (Till Freedom and Equality)
Week 7: Who Should Rule?
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 84-103 (Till the End of Chapter)
Week 8: The Place of Liberty – What is Liberty?
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 104 -121 (Till Individuality and Progress)
Week 9: The Place of Liberty
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 121-132 (Till the End of Chapter)
Week 10: The Distribution of Property
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 133-148 (Till Arguments against the Market)
Week 11: The Distribution of Property – Arguments against the Market
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 148-176 (Till the End of Chapter)
Week 12: Individualism, Justice, Feminism
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 177-186 (Till Affirmative Action)
Week 13: Individualism, Justice, Feminism – Affirmative Action
Jonathan Wolff, PP: 177-186 (Till the End of Chapter)
Required Text Book:
Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy, New York: Oxford
University Press, 2006.
Supplementary Text Book:
Richard Schmitt, An Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
A Question-Based Approach, ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS,
INC., 2009.
Supplementary Videos:
It is highly recommended that by the end of the semester you watch Harvard
University’s Prof. Michael Sandel’s all 12 episode-lectures that are posted on
the web site provided below.
http://www.justiceharvard.org/watch/
Student Evaluation:
There will be two tests for this course. One midterm exam and one final
exam. Group studies, class participation and attendance will affect
students’ final grades substantially.
Midterm exam will be a take home exam. A short essay of 500 – 750
words. Students will be given few short essay questions to choose one
from. The paper will be assessed on the basis of its clarity, relevance to
the chosen question and critical thinking.
The paper needs to be double spaced, 12 font size, times new roman
style.
Final exam will be a in-class exam. The test will seek to evaluate your
knowledge and understanding of the subjects discussed in the class.
Making interpretations and drawing conclusions is an important part of
this test.
Participation in Class Discussions is important part of learning
process for this class. All students are expected to read the assigned
readings every week for discussions, and be ready to contribute to the
conversations. Group studies, presentations and discussions are
important part of each class.
Assessment Methods:
Midterm Exam: % 40
Final Exam:
% 40
Group Studies
and Class Participation: % 20
Grading Scale:
Final grades will be awarded on a 100-point scale as follows: A=100 - 91; BA=
81 - 90; BB= 71 - 80; CB = 65 - 70; CC= 61 - 64; DC = 55 - 60; DD = 51 - 54;
FD = 36 - 50; FF = 35 or below.
Classroom Rules:
All students must carefully read and follow the Meliksah University Student
Handbook and have a complete understanding of what they are expected as a
student at Meliksah. Students should always remember that they are in a
university environment and show respect to their classmates, instructors and
the other university personnel. Students should also be respectful to all ideas –
whatever they are. They should also not talk to one another during class, and
not connected to the internet. Also, cell phones should be turned off at all times
during the class sessions. Students should come to class as prepared and are
required to do readings and finish assignments before coming to the class.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance is required and will be checked. A student who misses the first
hour of the course will be considered absent for that day. Whether an excuse is
“acceptable” or not is at the sole discretion of the instructor. A student who
misses more than 30 percent of all sessions for this course in this semester may
automatically fail from the course.
Late Assignments:
Those students who do not come to class on exam/assignment/student
presentation days will automatically receive an ‘F’ for that specific grade item.
A 10 point / day will be deducted for late assignments; and no assignment will
be accepted if it is late more than three (3) days.
Academic Misconduct:
Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Examples of misconduct include
violating rules stated in this syllabus, cheating, plagiarism (please learn in
detail and precisely what amounts to plagiarism; not knowing is not an excuse),
and dishonesty. All of the work you hand in within this course is expected to be
your own. Moreover, instances of cheating and plagiarism will be handled
according to the university disciplinary rules.
Important Notes:
*The instructor reserves the right to make changes in this syllabus if needed. If
a change takes place, the instructor will notify students about the change - in
class, through e-mail or Moodle - in advance.
*You can reach notes and slits for this course at:
http://www.meliksah.edu.tr/bucar/?lang=en