Undergraduate Course: Freedom, Consent and Political Obligation (PHIL10176)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | A course in political philosophy conducted by an examination of three fundamental concepts: freedom, consent and obligations to the state. The seminar-based course is oriented around the discussion of focal works by mostly twentieth-century philosophers. |
| Course description |
A course in political philosophy conducted by an examination of three fundamental concepts: freedom, consent and obligations to the state. The seminar-based course is oriented around the discussion of focal works by mostly twentieth-century philosophers. The guiding idea is that understanding these concepts provides insights into different constructions of legitimate government and political authority. We will consider each concept several times to understand the varieties of ways in which the concepts may be defined. The course will begin with a discussion of the idea of political philosophy and conclude with a consideration of the extent to which the political can be treated separately from the moral where similar considerations of freedom, consent and obligation exist.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students who have not taken Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) and Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014) must gain permission from the Course Organiser before enrolling on this course.
Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisites of Mind, Matter and Language and Knowledge and Reality. However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their PT and the course organiser before enrolling. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 17 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
100 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Exam (100%) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Freedom, consent and political obligation Exam | :120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain how several fundamental political concepts are combined to conceive of legitimate government.
- Understand how to address questions such as "How is political authority possible?" or "Do we have a duty to obey the state?"
- Articulate the differences between the political, moral, public and private spheres of activity.
- Conduct conceptual analysis of inter-related, abstract concepts.
- Give clear, structured arguments in favour of or against a proffered conceptual analysis, revision or elaboration.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The transferable skills from this course are analysis, synthesis, precision, and argument. Students will be obliged to survey, select and summarise ideas from a several required readings. Students will need to refine these ideas into their essential forms, that is, to analyse the material to find its logical structure. On the basis of common logical structures, students will develop consolidated answers regarding questions raised by the materials and by the course itself. Students will be taught care and precision in the expression of distinctions between inter-related ideas or concepts. Using these, students will have to marshal considerations in favour of their answers to relevant questions.
Core skills gained or developed on this course:
Being open to different perspectives; Challenging own perspectives and assumptions; Critical thinking; Critical analysis and evaluation; Ethics and research ethics; Formulating original arguments and justifying it; Independence; Preparation, planning and organisation; Academic reading skills; Self-reflection; Time management; Workload management; Writing clearly and concisely; Taking notes. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Levy
Tel: (0131 6)50 9943
Email: david.levy@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Catriona Keay
Tel:
Email: ckeay4@ed.ac.uk |
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