Political Philosophy

The course deals with central ideas in ethics and political philosophy from ancient times to our own. It provides an introduction to topics such as: The state and the good life, the individual and society, morality and politics, democracy and justice, human rights, freedom, power, economics and politics. Political philosophy is intertwined with other philosophical disciplines, including (theoretical and applied) ethics, jurisprudence and metaphysics, as well as topics from other disciplines, such as political science, sociology, social anthropology and economics.

According to the course curriculum, a candidate who passes this course is expected to have the following learning outcome (defined as knowledge and skills):

Knowledge

The candidate has knowledge of 

• different views on the main issues in political philosophy
• relevant links between the different issues in political philosophy, as well as between political philosophical issues and issues within other disciplines

Skills

The candidate has the ability to 

• present different positions, and to argue for and against different positions within political philosophy
• orient oneself in the literature within a particular field, and find complementary literature of relevance to a chosen topic and/or research question
• illuminate/answer the topic/research question in an independent manner through a written assignment (essay)

Seminar, supervision and self-study. The course has two alternative assessment forms (see 'further on evaluation') with different required activities that must be approved in order to sit the exam.

For assessment assignment/written examination: approved reading list that must be handed in to the Department.

For assessment assignment: approved reading list that must be handed in at the Department in person, 80 % attendance at seminar and approved oral presentation (15 minutes).