Entry requirements

Political Science basic course or equivalent education.

Content

This course is split into two subject areas. The first concerns theories of democracy. We discuss questions like: What is democracy? How can democracy be justified? Which are the conditions for the development of democracy? The main book is Robert Dahl's Democracy and Its Critics.

The other subject concerns central issues in contemporary political theory. We focus on political liberalism and its critics. The main books are Will Kymlicka's, Contemporary Political Philosophy (2-4 & 6-8), and Susan Moller Okin's, Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women?

Instruction

Lectures, seminars.

Assessment

The seminars are compulsorily. There are a set of questions for each seminar. You are expected to prepare answers (not written) to all these questions. You should think of these questions as reading and study guides. You will also submit a short-written paper the day prior to the seminar. This paper should be a minimum of one page long but no more than three pages. The paper should simply present an argument/discussion you would like to address in the seminar. Your argument/discussion topic can be related to one of the provided questions or of your own choosing. These papers are graded on a pass/fail basis. In order to receive a pass you must 1) hand in a paper 2) present your own critical argument or develop an issue for discussion in your own words. The paper should not be a summary of the author's views.

If you are absent from a seminar, you must answer the seminar questions in writing. The course ends with a written test. The exams are marked according to the Swedish standard (but transformed to ECTS). Half of the maximum points are required to pass the test.

Other regulations

For exchange students only.