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University of Kansas Department of Philosophy Spring 2018 PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor: Rafael Martins [email protected] Personal Webpage http://www.rmartins.faculty.ku.edu/ Lectures Wescoe 1007 MWF 10am - 10:50 am 12:00pm - 12:50 pm Office Hours 3100 Wescoe MW 11am – 12pm and by appointment Overview This course is an introductory study of most perennial topics in political philosophy such as the justifications of the right to rule (governmental authority, political legitimacy) and the duty to obey (political obligation), competing conceptions of human nature, the significance of individual liberty, theories of private and common property, the point of equality, the nature of a just distribution of goods, resources, etc., and possibly others. The readings include almost exclusively classic political philosophy. However, concepts and problems of political nature are complex and so, at times, they involve insights and theories from other independent disciplines such as ethics, economics, and law, to name a few. Therefore, the goal of this course is not to provide you with the answers to all relevant political questions. Rather, it is to introduce you to the methods and point of reasoning about those questions. In the end of this course, you will have a basic understanding of political arguments - how to recognize one, and how to make one. Course Materials This course is entirely OER-friendly. No need to purchase books. Please download the textbook for this course from my personal webpage: http://www.rmartins.faculty.ku.edu/ Some supporting material may sometimes be necessary. All other materials will be available on my personal webpage, including this syllabus. Blackboard only for essay submissions, posting grades, and communication.

PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor ......Grading Scale I use the following scale1 to convert numerical grades to letter grades. Percentage Range Letter Grade

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Page 1: PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor ......Grading Scale I use the following scale1 to convert numerical grades to letter grades. Percentage Range Letter Grade

University of Kansas Department of Philosophy Spring 2018 PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor: Rafael Martins [email protected] Personal Webpage http://www.rmartins.faculty.ku.edu/ Lectures Wescoe 1007 MWF 10am - 10:50 am 12:00pm - 12:50 pm Office Hours 3100 Wescoe MW 11am – 12pm and by appointment Overview This course is an introductory study of most perennial topics in political philosophy such as the justifications of the right to rule (governmental authority, political legitimacy) and the duty to obey (political obligation), competing conceptions of human nature, the significance of individual liberty, theories of private and common property, the point of equality, the nature of a just distribution of goods, resources, etc., and possibly others. The readings include almost exclusively classic political philosophy. However, concepts and problems of political nature are complex and so, at times, they involve insights and theories from other independent disciplines such as ethics, economics, and law, to name a few. Therefore, the goal of this course is not to provide you with the answers to all relevant political questions. Rather, it is to introduce you to the methods and point of reasoning about those questions. In the end of this course, you will have a basic understanding of political arguments - how to recognize one, and how to make one. Course Materials This course is entirely OER-friendly. No need to purchase books. Please download the textbook for this course from my personal webpage: http://www.rmartins.faculty.ku.edu/ Some supporting material may sometimes be necessary. All other materials will be available on my personal webpage, including this syllabus. Blackboard only for essay submissions, posting grades, and communication.

Page 2: PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor ......Grading Scale I use the following scale1 to convert numerical grades to letter grades. Percentage Range Letter Grade

Note on Course Material This course’s textbook is the result from my effort to provide totally free course materials for introductory courses in philosophy at KU. The version available as of now is not the final version, but it is absolutely ready for use since it only lacks aesthetic finishing. It is very likely that the final version will be available soon. Yet, as there is still time, I would really appreciate if students report me any typos, pagination issues, and absolutely any other issue any of you find in the material. Impressions, suggestions, etc. are all welcome and encouraged; any contribution will count as course participation for grading purposes. Tests and Grade Weights: Essays: 80% 4 essays worth 20% each 1. Plato/Aristotle 2. Locke 3. Utilitarianism 4. Kant All essays will be submitted electronically via Blackboard. All essays may not, by any means, exceed 800 words. Quiz: 10% The quiz covers all and only the material under Intro Participation 10% Attendance and Participation Documenting your attendance might be necessary for a number of academic purposes, so there will be a new presence sheet every class, please do not forget to sign it every meeting. Also, remember that class attendance and participation seriously influences your course overall grade. So, it is of supreme importance that you read the assignments prior to the lectures and be prepared to ask questions about them in class. Participation does not reduce to just “talking in class”. Any expression of genuine interest in this course is highly appreciated and will be certainly taken into consideration. You are totally welcome to talk with me through email, after class, drop by my office hours, etc. and while in class please always feel free to ask any questions, express your own opinion, make suggestions, etc. It is fine if you cannot come to class because of athletics, medical, family, or other personal reasons. But for the purpose of licensed absences, you need provide via email or hardcopy some documentation that justifies your absence. In cases when missing a class is unavoidable, everyone is encouraged to attend alternative time sections either in my own or in other Phil 180 section, pending prior arrangements. However, the best way to cover up absences is to meet up with me in my office hours. This way we can discuss the material presented in class and talk about other related things that might be in order for the day.

Page 3: PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor ......Grading Scale I use the following scale1 to convert numerical grades to letter grades. Percentage Range Letter Grade

Grading Scale I use the following scale1 to convert numerical grades to letter grades. Percentage Range Letter Grade 93.50 and above A 90.00 through 93.49 A– 86.50 through 89.99 B+ 83.50 through 86.49 B 80.00 through 83.49 B– 76.50 through 79.99 C+ 73.50 through 76.49 C 70.00 through 73.49 C– 66.50 through 69.99 D+ 63.50 through 66.49 D 60.00 through 63.49 D– 59.99 and below F Universal Student Access The Academic Achievement and Access Center (AAAC) coordinates academic accommodations and services for all eligible KU students with disabilities. If you have a disability for which you wish to request accommodations and have not contacted the AAAC, please do so as soon as possible. They are located in 22 Strong Hall and can be reached at 785-864-4064(V/TTY). Information about their services can be found at: www.access.ku.edu Please do not hesitate to contact me privately in regard to your needs in this course. Academic Misconduct Academic misconduct, especially cheating on tests and plagiarizing papers, is extremely serious. Please read KU’s policy on academic misconduct in article 2, section 6 of the University Senate Rules and Regulations: http://policy.ku.edu/governance/USRR#art2sect6 If you would like to know more about avoiding plagiarism, I recommend consulting the writing resources available on KU Writing Center webpage: http://writing.ku.edu/writing-guides

1 From http://www.benegg.net/plus-minus_grading.pdf

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Course Schedule 1. Syllabus 2. Basic Logical Reasoning 3. The Trolley Problem 4. The Five Cardinal Moral Theories and the relation between moral philosophy and political philosophy Movie Clip for discussion in class:

Berg, Peter. Lone Survivor, 2014 Scene: Weighing options https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcim3nLwWk8 Illustrates how different moral theories respond to moral dilemmas. Plato Crito Republic Book I Book II Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics Virtue Ethics: Book 1 Justice: Book 5 Politics Book 1: 1252a1; 1252a7; 1252a18; 1252b27 to 1253a25 Book 2: Chapters 1, 2 and 5; Book 3: Chapter 9 Hobbes Leviathan Chapters 10-15

Page 5: PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor ......Grading Scale I use the following scale1 to convert numerical grades to letter grades. Percentage Range Letter Grade

Movie Clip for discussion in class

Stone, Oliver. Wall Street, 1987 Scene: Gordon Gekko’s speech: “Greed is good”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Da1tDKFfno This course includes an optional homework. It is a movie review of 800 words. This essay will not replace any other written essay for grading. But this essay will seriously count positively in the computation of final overall grade. The movie is entirely available on Blackboard

Zvyagintsev, Andrey. Leviathan. 2014 Prisoner’s Dilemma TV Show Clip for discussion in class

BBC’s Golden Balls Game Show. Episode: Weirdest Split Ever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0qjK3TWZE8

Page 6: PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor ......Grading Scale I use the following scale1 to convert numerical grades to letter grades. Percentage Range Letter Grade

Rousseau Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Of the Social Contract Book 1: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Book 2: Chap 1, 2, 3, 4 Book 4: Chap 1 Locke Second Treatise Ch. 1 ¶3 Ch. 2 ¶s 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 Ch. 3 ¶s 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 Chapters. 5, 7, 9 Henry George The Injustice of Private Property in Land Garrett Hardin The Tragedy of the Commons Hume Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals Of Parties in General Of the Original Contract Of the Origin of Government Mill Utilitarianism - Chapter 2 Movie Clip for discussion in class:

The Wachowski Sisters. The Matrix, 1999. The Pill Scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ1_IbFFbzA&index=5&list=PLANCnJC5h0d8iiIhti8Ef6oG9Ezo1zQlF Illustrates the rejection of hedonism

Page 7: PHIL 180 Introduction to Political Philosophy Instructor ......Grading Scale I use the following scale1 to convert numerical grades to letter grades. Percentage Range Letter Grade

Kant Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals Excerpts from part 1 and 2 Excerpts from Enlightenment and On the Common Saying. Marx Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts Manifesto of the Communist Party The Significance of Liberty Stuart Mill – On Liberty Berlin – Two Conceptions of Liberty Taylor – What is Wrong with Negative Liberty? Egalitarianism: history and forms Liz Anderson - What’s The Point of Equality? – on Blackboard Rawls The rejection of utilitarianism Nozick The stringency of Kant’s formula of humanity Course coda:

Joe Gayton, Tony Gayton. Hell On Wheels Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot – Nov/06/2011 Scene: Thomas ‘Doc’ Durant’s Monologue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73w1H84IBoQ&list=PLANCnJC5h0d8iiIhti8Ef6oG9Ezo1zQlF&index=1