Political Philosophy: An Introduction [2502]

General Information

• Credits: 6 ECTS
• Prerequisites: baccalaureate level or equivalent; proficiency in French
• Learning format: asynchronous distance learning – 100% e-learning
• Language of instruction: French
• Course access: available at any time of year
• Disability liaison officer: Cécile Boucherle

Course Overview

Political philosophy is a branch of philosophy that studies essential questions about various political issues, concepts and problems that are important to any human society. Based on concepts such as state, justice, liberty, rights, government and authority, political philosophy can be regarded as the primal ethics applied to a group of people, geared towards the setting up of a political society, the maintenance of a stable society and the best possible way for citizens to act. In the first section, the overview of politics, political philosophy and the political concept of liberalism are presented. The second and third sections present a general historical evolution of political philosophy by briefly discussing the key political thought of certain political philosophers from Plato to contemporary times. The fourth section focuses on religion and state, one of the essential themes in political philosophy. The fifth section takes the theme of religion and state further by discussing actual sample cases. 

Learning Outcomes

This course enables you to:

• Understand the meaning of politics, political philosophy and liberalism
  
• Understand the scope of political philosophy and its importance as a branch of knowledge;
  
• Understand the origins of political philosophy, and the positions held by some of the great political philosophers since the dawn of political thought;
  
• Have a better sense of the major issues such as religious freedom surrounding the theme of religion and politics;
  
• Be aware of certain actual sample cases concerning religion and politics, with the ability to take a position in such cases;
  
• Understand and be able to express certain political philosophical issues taking a position in the debates over the issues mentioned in this course.

Course Competencies

This course is linked to the following competency:

• Analyse the philosophical foundations of politics, society and law. 

Course Outline

Section 1: Politics, Political Philosophy and Liberalism: Overview

Section 2: Political Philosophers I – From Plato to Niccolò Machiavelli

Section 3: Political Philosophers II – From Thomas Hobbes to John Rawls

Section 4: Politics, Religion and State

Section 5: Politics, Religion and State - Case Studies

Assessment Methods 

Course assessment is based on:

• tracking and completion of the course and of all learning activities. These activities, designed as essential practice and learning exercises, may be completed multiple times and are not factored into the final grade,
• the final assessment quiz, which constitutes the graded evaluation.

Learning Format

The course is taught entirely online via the MyDomuni platform, accessible 24/7.
Learning resources include:

• written course materials;
• supplementary documents and, depending on the content, video resources;
• interactive learning activities (quizzes, exercises);
• a discussion forum with the course instructor and fellow participants.

Prerequisites

This course is open to anyone with a general level of education equivalent to the baccalaureate, or with personal or academic experience related to the topics covered.

A good command of written French is recommended to facilitate understanding of the content and participation in the activities offered. 

Accessibility

The course is accessible at any time, from any internet-connected device, via the MyDomuni platform.
For students with disabilities, specific support can be arranged upon request to ensure equitable access to course content and activities.

Disability liaison officer: cecile.boucherle@domuni.eu. 

Selective Bibliography

• Andrew Heywood, Politics, 3rd ed., New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
• John Stuart Mill, « On Liberty », in Edwin A. Burtt (ed.), The English Philosophers from Bacon to Mill, New York, Random House, 1939, pp. 949-1041. 
• John Rawls, The Law of Peoples: With “The Idea of Public Reason Revisited”, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 2002.
• Brian Leiter, Why Tolerate Religion?, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2012.
• Martha C. Nussbaum, The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age, Cambridge, MA,
• Harvard University Press, 2012.