Active Outline
General Information
- Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
- PHILD002.
- Course Title (CB02)
- Social and Political Philosophy
- Course Credit Status
- Credit - Degree Applicable
- Effective Term
- Fall 2023
- Course Description
- Examines fundamental issues and methods in social and political philosophy. Emphasis is placed upon historical development as well as contemporary issues and cultural contexts. Issues include political authority, rights, equality, freedom, agency, responsibility, justice, and social identity.
- Faculty Requirements
- Course Family
- Not Applicable
Course Justification
This course meets a general education requirement for °®¶¹´«Ã½, CSUGE and IGETC. This course is UC and CSU transferable. The course fosters competence in regards to a student's identifying and analyzing issues and texts in social and political philosophy.
Foothill Equivalency
- Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
- No
- Foothill Course ID
Formerly Statement
Course Development Options
- Basic Skill Status (CB08)
- Course is not a basic skills course.
- Grade Options
- Letter Grade
- Pass/No Pass
- Repeat Limit
- 0
Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options
- Transferability
- Transferable to both UC and CSU
| °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2GC2 | °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area C2 - Humanities | Approved |
| CSU GE | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGC2 | CSU GE Area C2 - Humanities | Approved |
| IGETC | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| IG3B | IGETC Area 3B - Humanities | Approved |
Units and Hours
Summary
- Minimum Credit Units
- 4.0
- Maximum Credit Units
- 4.0
Weekly Student Hours
| Type | In Class | Out of Class |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture Hours | 4.0 | 8.0 |
| Laboratory Hours | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Course Student Hours
- Course Duration (Weeks)
- 12.0
- Hours per unit divisor
- 36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
- Lecture
- 48.0
- Laboratory
- 0.0
- Total
- 48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
- Lecture
- 96.0
- Laboratory
- 0.0
- NA
- 0.0
- Total
- 96.0
Prerequisite(s)
Corequisite(s)
Advisory(ies)
EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.
Limitation(s) on Enrollment
Entrance Skill(s)
General Course Statement(s)
(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)
Methods of Instruction
Lecture and visual aids
Discussion of assigned reading
Discussion and problem solving performed in class
In-class essays
Homework and extended projects
Collaborative learning and small group exercises
Other: Film / documentary / other media sources, such as Youtube
Assignments
- Required reading assignments from texts
- Written and / or oral argumentative project on a particular issue or figure in social and political philosophy
- Group discussions emphasizing the comparison and contrast of different positions on philosophical issues.
- Written exams on concepts and figures in social and political philosophy
Methods of Evaluation
- At least two exams, including multiple-choice and/or essay components, in which students will be evaluated on their ability to correctly identify significant philosophical concepts, distinguish between major theories, and identify the contributions of specific figures in the history of social/political philosophy.
- Group discussions will be evaluated on the basis of students' abilities to critically engage with the views of their peers, and to apply philosophical methods in the development and defense of their own views.
- Essays and/or oral presentations on topics within social and political philosophy showing the ability to analyze, compare and contrast philosophical ideas, and to employ philosophical methods in the defense of an original position
- Final exam including multiple-choice and/or essay components that requires students to summarize, integrate, and critically analyze and apply concepts examined throughout the course.
Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities
Essential Student Materials:Â
- None.
- None.
Examples of Primary Texts and References
| Author | Title | Publisher | Date/Edition | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolff, Jonathan. An Introduction to Political Philosophy, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.) | ||||
| Cahn, Steven (ed). Political Philosophy: The Essential Texts, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Company, 2014) | ||||
| Plato. "Republic." Hackett, Indianapolis, IN, 2005. |
Examples of Supporting Texts and References
| Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Rawls, John. "A Theory of Justice". Belknap Press, 2005.. | ||
| Nozick, R. "Anarchy, State, and Utopia", Basic Books Inc., New York, 1974. | ||
| Butler, Judith. "The Judith Butler Reader", Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, UK, 2004. | ||
| Black Elk, "Black Elk Speaks", University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE 2000. | ||
| Hallen, Barry, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Gyekye, Wiredu, Oruka. Gbadegesin, Segun "African Philosophy: Traditional Yoruba Philosophy and Contemporary African Realities". Peter Lang Publishers, New York 1991. | ||
| Hobbes, "Leviathan", Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996. | ||
| hooks, bell, "Class Matters", Routledge Press, New York, 2000. | ||
| Hume, "Treatise of Human Nature", Penguin Books, London, 1986. | ||
| Mill, J. S. "On Liberty", Penguin Books, London, 1985. | ||
| King Jr., Martin Luther, "The Martin Luther King, Jr. Companion: Quotations from the Speeches, Essays and Books of Martin Luther King, Jr.", St. Martin's Press, New York, 1998. | ||
| Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", Dover Press, New York, 1995. | ||
| Rousseau, "Of the Social Contract", Penguin Books, London, 1968. | ||
| Marx & Engels. "The Marx-Engels Reader", W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1978. |
Learning Outcomes and Objectives
Course Objectives
- Identify, examine, and evaluate the discipline and methods of philosophy with an emphasis upon themes and problems in social and political philosophy, as well as key figures associated with Western and Eastern traditions.
- Identify, examine, and analyze moral, epistemic, and metaphysical claims underlying various social and political concepts.
- Examine, compare, and contrast various claims, theories, and methodologies found in Eastern and Western social and political philosophy.
CSLOs
- Identify and analyze philosophical problems pertaining to social and political philosophy.
- Analyze and assess solutions to these problems from a variety of philosophical traditions.
- Articulate and defend original positions on issues in social and political philosophy.
Outline
- Identify, examine, and evaluate the discipline and methods of philosophy with an emphasis upon themes and problems in social and political philosophy, as well as key figures associated with Western and Eastern traditions.
- Identify and appraise methods appropriate to the study of social and political philosophy.
- Arguments
- Charitable interpretations of texts/positions
- Analyze and evaluate the historical background relevant to social and political theories
- Examine how multicultural and historical contexts frame theories, key terms, and discussions within political philosophy.
- Evaluate different socioeconomic factors that have impacted philosophical categories of thinking in regards to social and political philosophy, particularly notions of freedom, justice, and fairness.
- Identify and appraise methods appropriate to the study of social and political philosophy.
- Identify, examine, and analyze moral, epistemic, and metaphysical claims underlying various social and political concepts.
- Explicate standard moral and metaethical theories as they apply to theories of justice and/or right and wrong.
- Relativism as it applies to cultural/social differences
- Utilitarianism as it applies to the justification of political authority
- Analysis of epistemic justification as it pertains to justification in the social/political domain.
- Analyze and interpret the ontological status, problems, and features of justice, fairness, good, bad, right, and wrong.
- Explicate standard moral and metaethical theories as they apply to theories of justice and/or right and wrong.
- Examine, compare, and contrast various claims, theories, and methodologies found in Eastern and Western social and political philosophy.
- Appraise, assess, and relate various theories involving the nature of justice and fairness.
- Analyze and interpret various social and political thinking on freedom and human agency
- Summarize differing conceptions of human nature, both Eastern and Western. Explicate how such theories have shaped social and political theory, as well as theories about human development.
- Assess standard argumentative positions on other central themes and concepts in political and social theory
- The justification of political authority
- The function of governmental rule
- The just distribution of resources
- Just laws and criminal punishment
- Democracy and its alternatives
- Issues in contemporary social policy
- Identify and appraise philosophical contributions from thinkers of diverse cultural, ethnic and gender perspectives.
