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 5062 CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THEORY COMPULSORY 3 0 0 9

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) Movie on Eichmann case and Arendt
6 Welfare age liberalism and its communitarian critique (Rawls vs Sandel) Rawls (Ch. 1 in Farrelly) M.J. Sandel, 184-218, A Response to Rawls Political Liberalism , Liberalism and The Limits of Justice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998.
7 Post-structuralism (Lacan, Derrida, Foucault) Madan Sarup, Ch. 1-2-3, An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism, Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993.
8 Postmodernism (Lyotard, Baudrillard) Lyotard (pp. 481-513) (in Cahoone) Baudrillard (pp. 437-60) (in Cahoone)
9 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.
10 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)
11 Post-Marxism Ernesto Laclau & Chantal Mouffe, Ch. 3-4, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy - Towards a Radical Democratic Politics, VERSO, London-New York, 2001.
12 Marxists defense against 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.
13 The Authority and meaning of authority in the modern world
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


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

Presentation/Presentation report + Weekly participation in discussions: 30% (15+15)
(Each student will present a major book written by a theorist we discussed or mentioned in class, upon the approval of the instructor. Topic and date should be fixed by second week of the semester. You must submit a short report on the day of presentation.)

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.
4. Students will make presentations on topics distributed by the instructor.

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 12 3 36
Preparation for midterm exam 1 10 10
Preparation for final exam 1 15 15
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 12 10 120
Preparing presentations 1 30 30
Final 1 3 3
Midterm 1 3 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 217

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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