Entry requirements

Political science advanced level or equivalent education.

Learning outcomes

This course presents different perspectives on political theory and introduces some fundamental problems which have been reflected upon by classical as well as modern political thinkers. It will thereby give the students an opportunity to take their own stand on these issues.

Content

The foundations of political theory

The purpose of the first part of the course is to explore the foundations of political theory and political thought. What does one do when investigating political ideas? What does interpreting something mean, e.g., interpreting a text or an image with a political meaning? And what does one interpret more specifically? In this part of the course, the students investigate the tension between interpreting political thought out of its historical, linguistic, cultural, political and theoretical context on the one hand, and searching for a valid or fertile argument on the other hand. Moreover, seminars will explore the foundation of normative political theory, i.e., theorising regarding arguments about what is justified and what is not. Which rational reasons are there for not holding that such normative theorising entails expressing mere opinions? Departing from Plato's Gorgias, the seminars will investigate the nihilist position, according to which there is no right or wrong in moral and political issues, and the converse argument, namely, that we can know that nihilism is wrong since it is self-contradictory.

The legitimacy of power and contract theory

The second part of the course deals with the legitimacy of power and the problem of obligation, departing from a few classical texts, Hobbes' Leviathan and Rousseau's Discours on Inequality and The Social Contract (only extracts). Both Hobbes and Rousseau formulated their theories in terms of a social contract. This method, frequently used in political philosophy, is reviewed and criticized on a more general level by Carole Pateman i The Problem of Political Obligation. A Critique of Liberal Theory. Pateman's book also illustrate a common genre in political theory, i.e. to engage in a discussion about and with different theoretical traditions and at the same time pretend to contribute to the interpretation of the arguments of the classical texts. The remaining part of the literature gives some examples of how to read and use this kind of political texts.

Public Reason as a Sovereign

The third and last part of the course focuses on a central theme in the Enlightment tradition: the idea that there is a Public Reason that should guide constitutional and public policy. This theme is treated in an over view by Gerarld Gaus of contemporary liberal political philosophy, and in the reading of an anthology by David Estlund on the moral foundation of democracy, where the role of a of objective public reason in politics is a central issue. The aim of this part of course is to integrate a moral philosophical on the possibility of moral knowledge with a discussion on constitutional politics.

Instruction

The course consists of three parts, each of which beginns with one or two lectures and ends with a seminar. During the last weeks of the course the students are writing a course paper.

Assessment

Examination is based upon the assessment of a course paper, shorter seminar papers and active participation in seminars.