PHIL330-001: Social and Political Philosophy 2018-2019, Term 1: M/W/F: 12-1pm in DMP 301 Instructor: Kelin Emmett Email: kelin.emmett@ubc.ca Course Description: Political philosophy reflects on questions about the justice of our collective social arrangements our social and political institutions and the distribution of social goods and status, for example. It asks questions like: What is the source and scope of political authority? What is the ideal relationship between individuals and the social, political, and economic institutions that help to shape them? Is democracy the best form of government, and if so, what kind of democracy? What might be important about freedom and equality? How should we understand the nature and weight of these political values? Are there important limits to individual freedoms? Do western liberal democracies live up to the political values they espouse? Is the authority of the state even compatible with individual freedom? Can its authority be justified? How might we begin to answer these questions? What sorts of resources can we draw on in answering them? This course will take an historical approach and survey some of the canonical works in western modern social and political philosophy. The goal is to provide students with an in-depth introduction to some of the key philosophical approaches and questions that have helped to shape our contemporary political selfunderstanding. Throughout we will consider important critiques of the western liberal tradition, and we will end by considering an important challenge to it and whether or not it has within it the resources to sufficiently meet this challenge. Required Texts: Robert Wolff, In Defense of Anarchism (University of California Press, 1998) All other readings will be available through UBC Library Online Course Reserves (LOCR). Note that electronic editions of most of our readings are available through Past Masters, an electronic database you have access to through the UBC Library. The link to this database can also be found on LOCR. Detailed instructions to help you navigate Past Masters are posted on Canvas. Philosophy requires a lot of reading! Your success in this course will be based on your ability to read and work through challenging philosophical material. Some of these texts may require multiple reads. You are expected to do each day s readings before class, and you should arrive prepared to discuss them. 1
Course Evaluation: Short writing assignment (3-4 pages, 12 pt. font, double-spaced) 20% Due Oct 1 st Short critical essay (4-5 pages, 12 pt. font, double-spaced) 25% Due Oct 29 th Short critical essay (4-5 pages, 12 pt. font, double-spaced) 25% Due Nov 26 th Final Exam 30% Grading Scale: [UBC Academic Calendar 2018/19] Percentage (%) Letter Grade 90-100 A+ 85-89 A 80-84 A- 76-79 B+ 72-75 B 68-71 B- 64-67 C+ 60-63 C 55-59 C- 50-54 D 0-49 F (Fail) Office Hours: I will hold office hours on M/W 1:30-2:30pm in BUCH E158. Everyone is welcome, and please note that no appointment is necessary during these times! You can drop in with any questions or ideas that you might want to chat about. I am also available by appointment. Attendance and Participation: Regular attendance is necessary to do well in this course. Students are responsible for content covered in lectures as well as in the readings. If you must miss a lecture or two, please feel free to see me in office hours if you have questions about missed material. If you plan to miss multiple lectures, you should let me know as soon as possible and schedule an appointment if you are seeking special accommodation for your absences. Canvas: I will be posting announcements, assignments, and revisions to the syllabus on Canvas. Students are expected to check Canvas regularly, and students are advised to turn on email notifications in their settings. You are responsible for remaining informed throughout the term. 2
Contact Policy: I will try to answer your emails promptly (within 2 academic days of receipt). I cannot answer substantive questions about the course material over email. If you have questions about the course material, please see me during office hours, or schedule an individual appointment. Please be sure to indicate the course code in the subject line. Late Policy: You will loose 3% per day for handing in assignments late, unless you have a documented reason. If you have a valid reason to miss an assignment deadline, you should inform me in advance (please note that due dates in other courses are not valid excuses). When circumstances do not permit this (e.g. in an emergency), you must inform me as soon as possible. Learning Styles & Resources: Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you have a disability, health consideration, or personal situation that may require accommodation, please let me know how I can help you. The sooner you let me know, the sooner I can assist you in achieving your goals in this course! Academic Honesty: I take academic integrity very seriously. Please see the university s policy on plagiarism [source UBC calendar]: Plagiarism: Plagiarism, which is intellectual theft, occurs where an individual submits or presents the oral or written work of another person as his or her own. Scholarship quite properly rests upon examining and referring to the thoughts and writings of others. However, when another person's words (i.e. phrases, sentences, or paragraphs), ideas, or entire works are used, the author must be acknowledged in the text, in footnotes, in endnotes, or in another accepted form of academic citation. Where direct quotations are made, they must be clearly delineated (for example, within quotation marks or separately indented). Failure to provide proper attribution is plagiarism because it represents someone else's work as one's own. Plagiarism should not occur in submitted drafts or final works. A student who seeks assistance from a tutor or other scholastic aids must ensure that the work submitted is the student's own. Students are responsible for ensuring that any work submitted does not constitute plagiarism. Students who are in any doubt as to what constitutes plagiarism should consult their instructor before handing in any assignments. A link about Academic misconduct is below http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,959 Classroom Etiquette and Respect: As philosophers, we will approach a range of controversial issues in a manner that is both thoughtful and critical. This requires as much of our attitude as it does of our theoretical care. A willingness to engage respectfully with diverse views is the imperative of a critical mind. Everyone is invited, and encouraged, to participate in classroom discussions and voice their concerns. Please ensure that you comport yourself in accordance with a policy of mutual respect. 3
A Note on Electronics: Electronics are welcome in the classroom as long as they are used with maturity and respect. If I find your use distracting to myself or to others I will ask you to remove them. Schedule of Readings: Please not that this schedule is tentative and subject to revision. Week 1 Sept 5: Introduction Sept 7: Hobbes, Leviathan: Introduction, Ch. 6 [1-21, 51-54, 57-58], 10 [1-18] Week 2 Sept 10: Hobbes, Leviathan: Ch. 13, 14, 15 [1-8; 38-41] Sept 12: Hobbes, Leviathan: Ch. 17, 18, 19 [1-9], 20 [1-15] Sept 14: Hobbes, Leviathan: Ch. 21, 26 [1-9], 29 Week 3 Sept 17: Locke, Second Treatise: Ch. 1-4 Sept 19: Locke, Second Treatise: Ch. 5 Sept 21: Locke, Second Treatise: Ch. 7-10 (1 st assignment posted) Week 4 Sept 24: Locke, Second Treatise: Ch. 11-12, 18-19 Sept 26: Walkim, Water Philosophy ; Brave Noisecat, The western view of private property is flawed. Indigenous peoples have it right ; Qiggin, John Locke Against Freedom Sept 28: Locke, An Essay on the Poor Law Week 5 Oct 1: Rousseau, Discourse on the Origins of Inequality : Introduction, and Part I (1 st assignment due, 11am) Oct 3: Rousseau, Discourse on the Origins of Inequality : Part II Oct 5: Rousseau, The Social Contract: Book I, Ch. 1-8 Week 6 Oct 8: Thanksgiving Day. University Closed. Oct 10: Rousseau, The Social Contract: Book II, Ch. 1, 3, 4, 6 Oct 12: Rousseau, The Social Contract: Book III, Ch. 12-15; Book IV, Ch. 2 4
Week 7 Oct 15: Rousseau, Emile (Book V, selections) Oct 17: Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Ch. V, section I); Okin, Freedom and Equality for Men (recommended) Oct 19: Mill, On Liberty Ch. 1 (2 nd assignment posted) Week 8 Oct 22: Mill, On Liberty Ch. 2 [1-11, 21-27, 34-44], Ch. 4 [1-7] Oct 24: Mill, Considerations on Representative Government Ch. 3, 5 Oct 26: Mill, Considerations on Representative Government Ch. 7, 8 Week 9 Oct 29: Marx, Premises of the Materialist Method from The German Ideology (2 nd assignment due) Oct 31: Marx, Estranged Labor, from Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 Nov 2: Marx, Wage Labour and Capital Week 10 Nov 5: Marx and Engels Manifesto of the Communist Party Ch. 1, Capital, V. 1, Ch. 32, The Historical Tendency of Capitalist Accumulation Nov 7: Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party Ch. 2, 4 Nov 9: Marx, (cont.) Week 11 Nov 12: Statutory Holiday. University Closed. Nov 14: Rawls, A Theory of Justice Rawls, A Theory of Justice pp. 3-4, 11-22, 60-75, 100-104, 136-142 Nov 16: Rawls (cont.) (3 rd assignment posted) Week 12 Nov 19: Mackinnon, The Liberal State Nov 21: Mackinnon (cont.), Mills, Racial Liberalism Nov 23: Mills (cont.) Week 13 Nov 26: Wolff, In Defense of Anarchism, pp. 3-37 (3 rd assignment due, 11am) Nov 28: Wolff, pp. 38-67 Nov 30: Wolff, pp. 69-82, Wrap up! 5