• REQUIRED TEXTS
• GENERAL EDUCATION STATEMENT
• SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES
• COURSE REQUIREMENTS
• PROVISIONAL SYLLABUS

REQUIRED TEXTS:     back to top

Social and Political Philosophy, edited by James Sterba, 2nd edition (note the edition).
Coursepack, containing several required readings (available at the bookstore).

GENERAL EDUCATION STATEMENT:     back to top

This course satisfies the “Philosophy and Religion” (C-3) section of the General Education Program. Courses in this section are designed to promote critical reflection on questions concerning the nature, meaning, and value of human existence, the world in which we live, and our relations with one another. Students should understand the sources and limits of knowledge, and they should appreciate and be able to assess different world views and moral teachings that have played central roles in human culture.

SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES:    back to top

1. To come to some understanding of certain key classic and contemporary theoretical approaches to justifying the authority of the political state.
2. To gain an understanding of the arguments surrounding a fewimportant contemporary social issues having to do with proposed limitations on individual liberty.
3. To discuss, think, and write critically about each of the issues and to reach (and be able to support) your own conclusions on them.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:     back to top

1. Attendance Policy:  In philosophy it is not enough that you've read the required texts; you really need some further guidance in order to understand what is sometimes extremely difficult material.  That's where our in-class discussions come in.  I can virtually guarantee that you will receive no higher than a C in the course if you are not in class almost every day, participating actively in the discussion and taking clear and copious notes.  But words are cheap.  Thus, I'm offering a bit of an incentive: if you have more than SIX unexcused absences, that alone will constitute sufficient grounds for your receiving an F in the course (it's up to my discretion - if I don't fail you, I'll definitely subtract at least two points for every class period you've missed (over the allowed six) from your overall point total). I will be taking attendance every day, so make sure you're here (on time) to sign in. If you have a reasonable excuse for missing a class period, please let me know in advance, if possible, to get it excused. If you miss a class for some unforeseeable reason (where you can't let me know beforehand), let me know why you did so (with documentation, if available) afterwards to get it excused. Whether or not your excuse is reasonable is up to me. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY - NOT MINE - TO MAKE SURE YOUR INITIALS ARE ON THE ATTENDANCE SHEET EACH DAY YOU ARE HERE. IF THEY ARE NOT, YOU WILL BE COUNTED ABSENT. In addition, if you show up more than TEN minutes after the class period has begun, you will not be allowed to sign in (again, without reasonable excuse).

2. Exams:  There will be TWO exams given during the course, one after the theoretical segment and one after the practical segment.  These are both required exams; therefore, if I have fewer than two exam grades for you by the end of the course, you will receive an F.  These will both be take-home exams, so there will be no need for (nor will I allow) make-up exams. The (tentative) due dates for each exam are on the syllabus. The exam questions will make reference to specific information from the lectures and the readings, so keep abreast of both.  Each exam will be worth 25% of your overall grade.  If you cheat in any way, you will receive an F for the course, and you will be reported to the Dean. All grading in the course will be done on the plus/minus grading system, with the following translation from points to letter grades: 98-100=A+; 92-97.9=A; 90-91.9=A-; 88-89.9=B+; 82-87.9=B; 80-81.9=B-; 78-79.9=C+; 72-77.9=C; 70.71.9=C-; 68-69.9=D+; 62-67.9=D; 60-61.9=D-; <60=F.

3. Papers:  You will be required to write TWO 2-4 page papers throughout the semester, each on a topic I will assign.  Due dates will be given in class, and there will be severe penalties for late papers.  Each paper will be worth 15% of your overall grade.

4. Reading Responses:  In order to ensure that you are reading the assigned material, I am requiring that you regularly (almost once a week) turn in brief written responses you have to the assigned readings throughout the course.  These will be due at the beginning of class on the day we are scheduled to discuss the reading (I will accept absolutely no late papers).  There will betwelve such due dates during the course.  Your task will be very simple: once you have read the assigned reading(s) for the day in question (as listed in the syllabus), you are to type up your own brief response to them.  These responses may be in many different forms, including: (a) a detailed question(s) about some idea in the reading that you just don't understand (e.g., I really don't understand Plato's explanation of blah, blah, blah, because....); (b) an objection to any idea or claim in the reading (e.g., Plato is being inconsistent: on p. 10 he says blah, blah, blah, and on p. 12 he says the opposite); or (c) an endorsement of some part of the author's argument (e.g., Plato's view of blah, blah, blah is exactly right, and here's why I think so...).  These are not to be summaries (although you may need to do a bit of exposition of the text in explaining your response). Nevertheless, your primary task in these is to demonstrate to me that you've actually done the entire reading and that you've thought about it a bit.  My plan is to make sure all of your questions/objections are dealt with in class.  Altogether, your scores on these will constitute 20% of your overall course grade.  This is a fairly easy way to get an A+ for a significant portion of the course.  I will grade each one according to the following evaluative schema:

   Check-plus -- reserved for those very thoughtful responses that reveal a genuine insight into the material (worth 3 points; these will rarely be given);

   Check -- reserved for those responses that provide clear evidence you've read the entire selection and you've thought about it a bit (worth 2 points; most of you will get these most of the time);

   Check-minus -- reserved for those responses that (a) provide evidence you just haven't carefully read the material, e.g., a question about something that's very clearly answered in the text or a too-brief discussion, or (b) are utter bullshit (worth 1 point);

   Zero -- reserved for those responses that (a) are plagiarized, i.e., they are not written in your own words, (b) are completely off the mark in every respect, or (c) are simply not turned in on time or at all (worth no points).

   At the end of the semester, I will add up all your points and then use the following translation schema to map them onto a 100 point scale: 20=100; 19=95; 18=90; 17=85; 16=80; 15=75; 14=70; 13=65; 12=60; 11=55; less than 11=50.  If you get checks across the board on just ten of these responses, you'll get a 100% for this portion of the course.  You cannot get more thant 20 overall points, so once you've reached that plateau, you'll no longer have to turn any in.  More on these in class.

5. Discussion is the life-blood of philosophy, so what I'd like for us to create in here is a lively environment where we all contribute to the enterprise of making the issues relevant for our everyday lives.  My hope, then, is that you'll jump in with your own thoughts whenever they arise; that is, whenever you have an objection, worry, question, or idea on the material, say something (to all of us, of course, not just to your imaginary pal).  I also understand that some of you have brilliant ideas but you're shy, or perhaps you view speaking up in class as a sign of disrespect to me or your classmates. I assure you first and foremost that I consider it a sign of respect when you speak up in class, and I hope that you will overcome your reservations for doing so as we go. But if you simply cannot overcome your aversions to public speaking, I hope you will at least e-mail me regularly with any questions/comments you have. To encourage all such forms of participation, I offer an incentive: if you are a regular contributor to our class discussions (or e-mails to me, or after-class conversations), I will count that in your favor in borderline final grade situations, giving you up to two points extra.  So, for example, if you've averaged an 88 (a B+), but you've contributed regularly to the discussion throughout the semester, I'll gladly kick your grade up to an A- (i.e., 2 points tacked onto your overall grade tally).  (Failing to participate, however, or staring at me with a surly expression all semester, will not result in a lower score, although perhaps it should.)
6. The deadline this semester for dropping a course with only the instructor's signature is Friday, February 14.  After that date, withdrawals will require additional approvals and can only be obtained for "serious and compelling reasons."  See Schedule of Classes, p. 16.

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