Social and Political
Philosophy
Philosophy 345 with
Prof. Gregory Owcarz in JR 204 on MWF at
“Philosophy is to the
real world as masturbation is to sex.”
- Karl Marx
“Many people would
sooner die than think. In fact they
do.” - Bertrand Russell
Required
What is Justice? Classic and Contemporary
The Curious Enlightenment of Professor Caritat, by Steven Lukes
Supplemental
The Republic, by Plato The
Philosophy of Right, by G.W.F. Hegel
Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle Utilitarianism,
by John Stuart Mill
Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx &
Frederick Engels
Second Treatise of Government, by John Locke A Theory of Justice,
by John Rawls
The Metaphysics of Morals,
by Immanuel Kant Anarchy, State
and Utopia, by Robert Nozick
Office Hours: MWF
Office Contact: Tel.
818-677-4796, Email GregoryO@csun.edu, Office in ST 516
Course Description
This course
satisfies the philosophy and religion section (C.3) 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. Social and Political Philosophy ebbs and flows
from abstract speculation to the concrete problems of our time. One wonders
whether justice is fairness or equal treatment or getting one’s due? What is the good society? What makes a government
legitimate? What kind of creatures does God or Nature intend
us to be? What is our essential relationship and our
obligations to each other? But one also asks whether it is right for the poor
and destitute to coexist with the incredibly rich? Is it fair that talented
hard workers go unrewarded while lazy mediocre inheritors of wealth and power
are rewarded handsomely? Should workers be paid, or students graded, for their
efforts or on their results? Do differences in gender, race, religion or age
warrant special considerations? What should society do to those who break the
law? The course considers both classic theory and current policy in light of
such issues.
Policies and Requirements
Class Format. Classroom discussion constitutes 30% of
the final course grade, to be determined according to participation, homework
and attendance in equal measure. Some lectures will be given where necessary to
introduce new material or difficult concepts, but
critical discussion is fundamental to examining social and political theories
and practices.
Homework Assignments and Pop Quizzes. For homework students
must complete two brief reading response papers, copy and distribute them to
all involved on assigned due dates, and present them in class discussion. Participation
includes enduring two periodic pop quizzes to demonstrate reading
comprehension. These endeavors facilitate discussion and ensure that a steady
course of study is maintained. Late work will not be accepted, nor will make-up
quizzes be offered.
Midterm and Final Exams. Each
exam constitutes 35% of the final course grade but the final exam presupposes
familiarity with material from the midterm. Make-up exams will not be offered.
Deadlines. The deadline this semester for dropping a course with only the
instructor’s signature is Friday, September 10th. After that date,
according to CSUN’s regulations, withdrawal will
require additional approvals and can only be obtained for “serious and
compelling reasons”, and provided that there is “no viable alternative”. See Fall 2004 Schedule of Classes, p.13.
Tentative Schedule of Topics
-Week One: Philosophy: A User’s Manual
-Week Two: Militarians, Utilitarians,
Communitarians
-Week Three: Proletarians, Libertarians, Egalitarians
-Week Four: Plato’s Republic
-Week Five: Aristotle’s Nicomachean
Ethics
- Week Six: The Social Contract – Hobbes, Locke
- Week Seven: The Social Contract – Rousseau, Hegel
- Week Eight: The Social Contract and Retributive Justice
Midterm
-Week Nine: Utilitarianism
-Week Ten: Utilitarianism
-Week Eleven: Distributive Justice - Rawls
-Week Twelve: Distributive Justice - Nozick
-Week Thirteen: Distributive Justice - Others
-Week Fourteen: Contemporary Applications
-Week Fifteen: gContemporary
Applications