Course Description
This course introduces students to prominent figures and problems in social and political philosophy. The course will cover topics such as: the relationship between self and society, political obligation and liberty, human nature and social construction, social contract theories, Marxism and anarchism, feminism, global perspectives, and Indigenous political thought. Students will be encouraged to develop their own thinking about the issues at stake. This course is recommended to students who want an introduction to fundamental philosophical ideas as part of their education. It will also serve for a foundation for further work in Philosophy.
Course Content
Sample Topics in the course may include:
- the foundations and limits of political authority;
- concepts and critiques of human nature;
- self and society, the citizen and the State;
- institutional power and oppression and social contract theories and critiques;
- anti-racist and feminist critiques of social contract;
- intersectionality;
- disability studies;
- Indigenous political thought.
Authors to be examined in the course may include:
Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Hobbes, Locke, Wollstonecraft, Hume, Mill, Marx, Engels, Freud, Kant, Nietzsche, Goldman, Sartre, Beauvoir, Arendt, Marcuse, Pateman, Hooks, Crenshaw, Tremain, Simpson, Coulthard, and Manuel.
Learning Activities
The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:
a combination of lecture and seminar; group discussions, student presentations, and projects; use of audio-visual material; analysis of case studies.
Means of Assessment
Evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific criteria during the first week of classes.
Assessment will be any combination of the following which equals 100%, with no single evaluation exceeding 40%:
| Tests, quizzes and exams |
20% - 60% |
| Essays, long written assignments, class presentations |
20% - 60% |
| Instructor’s general evaluation (e.g., participation and attendance) |
0% - 20% |
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of the course, successful students will be able to:
- Identify and explain historical and contemporary problems of political and social thought;
- Develop their own reasoning and reflection on some of the philosophical problems covered in the course;
- Contrast and compare the views of various authors and/or schools of thought;
- Articulate and discuss critiques of social and political perspectives covered in the course.
Textbook Materials
Texts will be updated periodically. Required readings will normally include primary sources in translation. Typical examples of textbooks are:
Biletzki, Anat. (2019). Philosophy of Human Rights: A Systematic Introduction, 1st Edition. Routeledge.
Cahn, Stephen. (2015). Political Philosophy: The Essential Texts, 3rd Edition. OUP.
Christman, John. (2017). Social and Political Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction, 2nd Edition, Routledge.
Shabani, Omid Payrow & Deveaux, Monique. (2014). Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy: Texts and Cases. OUP.
Wolff, Jonathan. (2016). An Introduction to Political Philosophy, 3rd Edition. OUP.
Kimlicka, Will. (2001). Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction. OUP.