Course Catalogue

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Political philosophy, in the broadest sense, concerns the question of how we should all live together as a society. It goes beyond morality and ethics in considering the structures of power within which individuals make their choices of how to live. Where the former asks 'What is the right thing to do?' or 'What is the good life?', political philosophy asks questions such as 'What does the just society look like?' Classic topics in political philosophy include the nature and scope of individual rights, the legitimacy of the state, justifications for democracy, the value of equality, liberty, and autonomy, and how to overcome oppression and injustice.

16x1hr lectures; 4x1hr seminars over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in Philosophy and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Philosophy, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes.

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The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Essay (1500 words) - 50%

■ Essay (1500 words) - 50% 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the essays, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course aims to:

■ Introduce the central components of influential theories in political philosophy;

■ Familiarise students with the main positions and arguments within each topic;

■ Enable students to deploy these arguments for themselves.

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

■ Explain what political philosophy is;

■ Identify and critically assess major theories concerning topics such as the nature and scope of individual rights, the legitimacy of the state, justifications for democracy, and core values like equality, liberty, and autonomy;

■ Apply political philosophical concepts to real world situations and personal experience;

■ Develop their own political philosophical positions in response to the literature, and back them up with careful and rigorous philosophical argument.