PH02103 Selected Chapters from Political Philosophy II

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2016
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Pavel Baran, CSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Josef Krob, CSc.
Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Hana Holmanová
Supplier department: Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Thursday 10:50–12:25 A11
Prerequisites (in Czech)
PH_PoZ Qualifying Exam. in Phil. || PHK_PoZ Qualifying Exam. in Phil. || PROGRAM(N-HS) || PROGRAM(N-PH) || PROGRAM(N-SS) || PROGRAM(N-MA)
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/40, only registered: 0/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The series of lectures and seminar readings will provide an overview of fundamental themes in political philosophy and their relationship to politics, particularly emphasizing their connection with the concept of the state and other organizational forms of political life. Various perspectives integral to political philosophy will attend to considerations of the diverse character of state systems; the problem of democracy; the organizational principles inherent to the state-citizens relations; social cohesiveness and the like.
The course’s main focus lies in the following topics: reflections of the state and its functions; legality and legitimacy of the state system; the problem of democracy and challenges to its legitimacy; philosophical reflections of the relation between states and nations. Such thematically interrelated themes and their practical implications are important as they constitute integral components of contemporary political discourse and manifest themselves in numerous political arrangements. The course thus introduces the structure and formation of aforementioned themes in their historical and contemporary contexts and highlights diverse modes of inquiry in political philosophy. The discussed themes will be contextualized with various positions and statements of important political philosophers such as F. Hayek, R. Dworkin, M. Walzer, R. Nozick, J. Rawls, A. Etzioni, H. Tam, J. Habermas and others. Lectures and seminar readings will be divided into separate parts, each reflecting given themes.
After completion of this course, students will acquire the competence and ability to reflect upon the following issues: the concept of state; the tension between state’s legality and legitimacy; democracy as a state system; the state-nation relation in the historical context, in association with contemporary theoretical discussions and practical political conduct. Simultaneously, students will be able to orient themselves in diverse statements and interpretations of these concepts. Students will also comprehend practical implications of such statements for political behavior and negotiations.
Syllabus
  • 1. The state and its functions
  • 2. The problem of legality and legitimacy of the state system
  • 3. Democracy, historical and contemporary contexts
  • 4. Philosophical reflections of the state-nation relations
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Sen, A. Inequality Re-examined. Sage, 1992.
  • Bell, D. Communitarianism and its Critics. Oxford University Press, 1993
  • Mulhall, S., Swift, A. Liberals and Communitarians. Blackwell, 1996.
  • HEYWOOD, Andrew. Politické ideologie. Translated by Zdeněk Masopust. 4. vyd. Plzeň: Aleš Čeněk, 2008, 362 s. ISBN 9788073801373. info
  • SWIFT, Adam. Politická filozofie : základní otázky moderní politologie. Translated by Denisa Šmejkalová. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2005, 190 s. ISBN 8071788597. info
  • GAUS, Gerald F. Political concepts and political theories. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 2000, xiv, 288. ISBN 081333330X. info
  • Současná politická filosofie :sborník textů anglosaských autorů 20. století. Edited by János Kis, Translated by Pavel Barša. Vyd. 1. Praha: Oikoymenh, 1997, 501 s. ISBN 80-86005-60-7. info
  • Politická filosofie 20. století. Edited by Karl Ballestrem - Hennig Ottmann, Translated by Alena Bakešová. 1. vyd. Praha: ISE, 1993, 302 s. ISBN 80-85241-52-8. info
Teaching methods
• interpretation of the lecturer
• reading of given texts with students, their interpretation and discussion
Assessment methods
Written test, or eventually verification of the knowledge on the basis of conversation with the students.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 1x za 14 dní.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2016, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2016/PH02103