PHIL404 PHILOSOPHY OF STATE AND SOCIETY
| Course Code: | 2410404 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 4 (4.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 6.0 |
| Department: | Philosophy |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Assist.Prof.Dr JAMES EDMOND CARR GRIFFITH |
| Offered Semester: | Fall or Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
The question of what constitutes sovereignty—the right to (legitimately) rule or govern oneself and/or another—has of late been called into question. What ish my nation? Ish a villain, and a bastard, and a knave, and a rascal? What ish my nation? Who talks of my nation?—Shakespeare, Henry V
Who or what rules over or governs whom or what? How does this rule or governance operate? Why does it operate in one way and not another? Does it operate in only one way? By what logic, what power, what logical power, or what powerful logic does it operate, if it indeed operates at all? What are its limits, if any? Who determines those limits, if they exist? Who benefits from those limits as determined in a particular fashion? What allows the beneficiaries to benefit and others not to benefit, if that occurs? Should the number of the beneficiaries of the limits of sovereignty themselves be limited? If the limitation of sovereignty necessarily limits its beneficiaries, should sovereignty be limited? Is the limitation of sovereignty necessarily linked to limited beneficiaries? And so on.
Our goal in this class, then, is to begin to get a handle on what is at stake in this current discussion of sovereignty and to come to grips with whether we can answer any of Captain Macmorris’s (admittedly decontextualized) questions from Henry V with assurance. We will pursue this goal through four texts at the forefront of this discussion.
Course Content
Problems in the philosophy of social science and in political philosophy.
Course Learning Outcomes
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | Have the knowledge and skills of research method which is a requirement in order to be successful in academic studies. | ✔ | |||
| 2 | Have the capacity for applying philosophical knowledge to scientific and social issues. | ✔ | |||
| 3 | Examine and analyze a subject matter and make philosophical interpretations on it. | ✔ | |||
| 4 | Have the skills of critical thinking, analytical approach, problem solving, multi-dimensional view, making inferences and interpretations regarding to philosophical texts and scientific facts. | ✔ | |||
| 5 | Identify the basic concepts and issues in philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 6 | Evaluate and understand the underlying philosophical assumptions of fundamental and social sciences. | ✔ | |||
| 7 | Have capacity to make interdisciplinary readings and analysis. | ✔ | |||
| 8 | Have verbal and written presentation and effective communication skills, be open to team work and do interdisciplinary study. | ✔ | |||
| 9 | Make connections between contemporary ethical, social, cultural, esthetic and politic issues. | ✔ | |||
| 10 | Interpret the historical development of scientific and philosophical questions. | ✔ | |||
| 11 | Have knowledge about contemporary philosophical issues and their relations to other disciplines. | ✔ | |||
| 12 | Use modern information tools in order to make research in philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 13 | Improve their professional and personal skills lifelong. | ✔ | |||
| 14 | Use information technologies effectively in domain applications in philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 15 | Have self-confidence and develop original ideas regarding to philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 16 | Have social and ethical responsibility regarding to contemporary issues. | ✔ | |||
| 17 | Have good knowledge of English, research method and computer skills and use these skills effectively. | ✔ | |||
| 18 | Comprehend the basic theories and issues in sub-disciplines of philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 19 | Have an advanced knowledge in certain specific fields such as environment, technology, culture, art etc. | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution