COURSE UNIT TITLE

: CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THEORY

DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
IRL 5082 CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THEORY ELECTIVE 3 0 0 7

Offered By

International Relations (English)

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ILKIM ÖZDIKMENLI ÇELIKOĞLU

Offered to

International Relations (English)

Course Objective

The aim of this course is to familiarize the students with important themes and philosophers in contemporary social political theory, and how they relate to the social and political world we live in. Major axis of the course will be the 20th cc philosophers' critique of modernity.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Gain understanding of some of the most important themes in modern Western political theory and new perspectives on important contemporary political issues.
2   Gain experience in reading philosophical works that involve complex concepts and analysis.
3   Gain experience in writing argumentative and critical papers.
4   Learn to articulate questions and ideas regarding philosophical subjects, and communicate these effectively with others.
5   Develop analytical and critical thinking skills.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Introduction
2 Major themes and topics in modern political theory until the 20th cc Ch. 2-3-4-5, Terrell Carver and James Martin, Palgrave advances in continental political thought, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire, 2006. (Recommended)
3 Frankfurt School Horkheimer&Adorno (pp. 243-58) (in Lawrence Cahoone (Ed.), from Modernism to Postmodernism - An Anthology, Blackwell, Malden MA, 1996.) G. Therborn, The Frankfurt School, New Left Review, 63, 1970, pp. 65-96.
4 Gramsci Martin (Ch. 9 in Carver&Martin) Antonio Gramsci, Ch. 6-7, The Gramsci Reader - Selected Writings 1916-1935 (Ed. David Forgacs), New York University Press, New York, 2000.
5 Arendt Tsao (Ch. 11 in Carver&Martin)
6 Rawls and his critiques-I Rawls (Ch. 1 in Farrelly)
7 Rawls and his critiques-II M.J. Sandel, 184-218, A Response to Rawls Political Liberalism , Liberalism and The Limits of Justice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998.
8 Post-structuralism (Lacan, Derrida, Foucault) Madan Sarup, Ch. 1-2-3, An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism, Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993.
9 Postmodernism (Lyotard, Baudrillard) Lyotard (pp. 481-513) (in Cahoone) Baudrillard (pp. 437-60) (in Cahoone)
10 Liberal defense of modernity: Habermas Thomassen (Ch. 13 in Carver&Martin) J. Habermas, Ch. 6, Habermas, The Postnational Constellation Political Essays, The MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 2001.
11 Debates on the scale and source of rights: liberals, communitarians, multiculturalists Habermas, 2001, Ch. 5 A. MacIntyre (pp. 534-55) (in Cahoone) C. Taylor (Ch. 23 in Farrelly)
12 Post-Marxism Ernesto Laclau & Chantal Mouffe, Ch. 3-4, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy - Towards a Radical Democratic Politics, VERSO, London-New York, 2001.
13 Other replies to postmodernism and post-marxism F. Jameson (pp. 556-72) (in Cahoone) E.M. Wood, Ch. 8, Democracy Against Capitalism - Renewing historical materialism, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000.
14 General Overview

Recomended or Required Reading

Stated in the weekly schedule

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture, in-class discussions, student presentations

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 STT TERM WORK (SEMESTER)
3 FIN FINAL EXAM
4 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE * 0.30 + STT * 0.30 + FIN* 0.40
5 RST RESIT
6 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE * 0.30 + STT * 0.30 + RST* 0.40


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

1-The student will analyze and compare the work of the most influential contemporary scholars in political theory/philosophy examined in class.
2- The student will identify and criticize the ways those philosophical works both shape and are determined by the social world we live in.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

1. Attending at least 70% of lectures is mandatory.
2. Plagiarism of any type will result in disciplinary action.
3. Students are expected to read the assigned material prior to class and to participate in class discussions.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

ilkim.ozdikmenli@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

To be announced

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 13 3 39
Preparation for midterm exam 1 15 15
Preparation for final exam 1 15 15
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 13 5 65
Preparing assignments 13 2 26
Final 1 3 3
Midterm 1 3 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 166

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10
LO.14
LO.25
LO.34
LO.44
LO.54

CONTACT INFORMATION
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Phone: +90(232) 412 12 12 - Fax: +90 (232) 464 81 35

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