Social and Political Philosophy II (PHIL 244)

Lecturer

Dr Sandy Berkovski

Contact details

sandy.berkovski@gmail.com

Readings

These texts are all required, and you will need your own copy of them. Their electronic versions are combined in one PDF file available on Moodle (joint course).

[Heg48]

G. W. F. Hegel. Early Theological Writings. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1948. Translated by T. M. Knox.

[Heg88]

G. W. F. Hegel. Introduction to the Philosophy of History. Hackett, 1988. Translated by L. Rauch.

[Hob92]

T. Hobbes. The Leviathan. Penguin, 1992.

[Kam83]

E. Kamenka, editor. The Portable Karl Marx. Penguin, 1983.

[Mil15]

J. S. Mill. On liberty. In M. Philp and F. Rosen, editors, On Liberty, Utilitarianism, and Other Essays. Oxford University Press, 2015.

[Web78]

M. Weber. Economy and Society, volume 2. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 1978. Edited by G. Roth and C. Wittich.

[Web04]

M. Weber. The Vocation Lectures. Hackett, 2004. Edited by D. Owen and T. B. Strong. Translated by R. Livingstone.

Preliminary term schedule

Week 1

Introduction: Secular foundations of the state, Epistle to the Romans

Week 2

[Heg88]: Historical change (19-23), World-historical individuals (30-39), The state (40-42, 55)

Week 3

[Kam83], Manifesto: 203-212, 218-228

Week 4

Forms of domination [Web04,32-37]; Domination and legitimacy [Web78,941-955]

Week 5

Charisma and love [Heg48,82]; Charismatic rule [Web78,1111-1120]; Transformations of charisma [Web78,1121-1148]; Politics, politicians, and state administration [Web04,37-57]

Week 6

Parties and parliamentary democracy [Web04,58-74]

Week 7

Bureaucracy identified [Web78,956-958]; Democracy and bureaucracy [Web78,983-985]; Bureaucracy and the state [Web78,990-994]; Midterm essay I

Week 8

The necessity of charismatic leadership [Web04,74-76]; Qualities of a good leader [Web04,76-79]; Ethics of responsibility and ethics of conviction [Web04,79-92]

Week 9

[Mil15], chs. II, IV

Week 10

[Hob92], ch. XIII

Week 11

[Hob92], chs. XIV-XV

Week 12

[Hob92], chs. XVI-XVIII

Week 13

[Hob92], ch. XXI

Week 14

[Hob92], chs. XXVI, XXX; Midterm essay II

Exam week

Final exam

Requirements

Midterm essay I and II

Students will write two in-class essays (open book).

Final exam

Students will sit an in-class final exam (open book).

Participation

Students are strongly encouraged to take part in the in-class discussions. This includes asking meaningful questions, however trivial they might seem. Random quizzes may be administered. Their grades will contribute to the participation grade.

Etiquette

Please make sure to join the class on time. Note that latecomers will not be allowed into class, including those that are late from the break. This rule will be strictly enforced throughout the semester. No electronic devices are allowed in class without an explicit leave by the lecturer.

Grading

The grades will have the following weight:

Midterm essay I		32%
Midterm essay II		32%
Final exam		20%
Class participation		16%

Your essay, final exam, and participation grades will take the following values: 100, 99, 90, 84, 70, 59, 10, 0. These values roughly correspond to the Bilkent percentage scale:

Numerical scale (%)		Letter scale
95 - 100		A
90 - 94		A-
86 - 89		B+
82 - 85		B
78 - 81		B-
74 - 77		C+
70 - 73		C
67 - 69		C-
63 - 66		D+
59 - 62		D
00 - 58		F

Your final letter grade for the whole course will be the arithmetical average of the final grades received for the Philosophy and English parts of the course (according to the conversion table above).

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