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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PH/PL 312"
COURSE NAME: "Freedom, Equality, and Democracy"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring Semester 2012
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Bailey Tom
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 10:00-11:15
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: One previous philosophy course or Junior Standing Co-requisites: EN 110; Recommended Junior Standing
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course introduces students to current philosophical debates over what makes a ‘just’ or ‘good’ society and how these debates inform controversial issues in contemporary politics. In particular, students will develop their understanding of and their views about the fundamental political ideas of ‘freedom’, ‘equality’ and ‘democracy’ and how these ideas can be interpreted and argued over in debates about such issues as healthcare reform, terrorism and war, poverty, genetic engineering, gender discrimination, the power of the media, international business and climate change. The course uses much class discussion and a variety of materials – including not only important philosophical texts, but also newspaper reports, parliamentary speeches, documentaries and works of art – to develop students’ own views about these ideas and issues and their skills in explaining and arguing for them.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

See 'Schedule' below.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• explain and discuss the main positions and arguments in contemporary philosophical debates over the ideas of ‘freedom’, ‘equality’ and ‘democracy’;

• explain and discuss debates regarding a range of current political issues related to these ideas;

• develop their own informed, reasoned positions regarding these ideas, issues and debates;

• present, discuss and analyse course material orally and in written forms and in individual and group contexts;

• make appropriate reference to relevant resources and undertake guided research work.
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
NONE

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

Students will be assessed according to the learning outcomes. Thus threshold (grade C) work will demonstrate a basic understanding of relevant approaches, approaches and issues, a familiarity with some relevant readings, some ability to analyze and evaluate this material and the ability to present and discuss it with some clarity. Good (grade B) and excellent (grade A) work will demonstrate a more thorough grasp of the relevant material, more depth and independence of analysis and evaluation and more clarity and precision in presentation and discussion, while poor (grade D) and fail grade (grade F) level work will reveal substantial deficiencies in understanding, analysis and/or presentation.

John Cabot University’s general assessment criteria

A (95%+) and A- (90-94%) work is relatively rare, expected to stand out from the work of other students and:

directly addresses the question or problem raised, provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information, critically evaluates concepts and theory, relates theory to practice, reflects the student’s own argument and is not just a repetition of standard lecture and reference material, is very accurate, has an element of novelty if not originality, provides evidence of reading beyond the required reading and displays an awareness of methodological concerns and displays an awareness of the limitations of current knowledge.

B+ (87-89%) and B (83-86%) grades indicate a highly competent level of performance and:

directly addresses the question or problem raised, provides a coherent argument drawing on relevant information, shows some ability to evaluate concepts and theory and to relate theory to practice, reflects the student’s own argument and is not just a repetition of standard lecture and reference material, does not suffer from any major errors or omissions, provides evidence of reading beyond the required reading and displays an awareness of other approaches to the problem area.

B- (80-82%) or C+ (77-79%) work is an acceptable level of performance and:

addresses the question but provides only a basic outline of relevant arguments and evidence along the lines offered in the lectures and referenced readings, gives answers that are clear but limited and with some minor omissions and inaccuracies, although no major errors.

C (73-76%) or C- (70-72%) work demonstrates some knowledge and an element of understanding, but is weak and:

points made in the answer are not always well supported by argument and evidence, relevant points have been omitted from the answer, there are some errors in the answer, parts of the question remain unanswered and answers may be unduly brief and possibly in note form.

D+ (67-69%), D (63-66%) or D- (60-62%) work does just enough to persuade the instructor that they should not be failed and:

answers lack a coherent grasp of the problems and issues raised in the question, important information has been omitted from the answers and irrelevant points have been included and answers are far too brief.

Fail (below 60%) work fails to convince the instructor that students have benefited from academic study and:

fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question, reveals fundamental misunderstanding of the subject matter and most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.


-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

See 'Class participation' in 'Assessment methods' above.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE


Week              Topic                          Tuesday                                              Thursday                 

 

1.                     Introduction to political philosophy                                       Shipwrecked

 

                        Part I. A toolbox of contemporary approaches

 2.                     Liberalism                  The veil of ignorance                          Public reasoning                     

3.                     Libertarianism             Property                                              Anarchy         

 4.                     Socialism                     A camping trip                                    Ideological illusions   

 5.                     Democracy                  The public sphere                               Representation

  

6.                     Review for first written assignment + Project work preparation

                        

                        Part II. Debates on freedom, equality and democracy

 7.                     Freedom                      What is ‘freedom’?                        Free speech and pornography

 8.                                                         Power and conformity               Projects: Life and death, ‘Freedom’

 9.                     Equality                       Equality of what?                               Race and gender

 10.                                                       Multiculturalism                         Projects: Luck and merit, Animals

 11.                   Democracy                  What is ‘progress’?                             Global poverty           

 12.                                                       Religion                                               War

 13.                                                       Hypocrisy                            Projects: Sustainability, Anti-democracy

 
14.                   Review for final examination