Time Schedule:
Kenneth G Lawson
POL S 311
Seattle Campus
Individualism and communitarian critics. Political and ethical implications of both. Nature of the state, liberty, responsibility, cooperation. Important individualist and collectivist literature, dealing with market institutions and citizen politics, critically assessed.
Class description
This course explores the relationship between the citizen and the state as it has developed in the West over the last several centuries. We undertake a critical analysis of the meaning of individual duties and rights within a modern, liberal-capitalist society. Our chief objective shall be to explain and examine the evolving practices and institutions that govern individuals in a modern society, with particular emphasis on the impersonal powers of the state and the market.
Student learning goals
Trace the evolution of ongoing debates within modern political philosophy, with particular attention to the relationship among the individual, society, and the state.
Recognize and weigh the balance between the normative values placed on individual rights and the obligations to one’s community.
Identify and explain the persistent tensions within the political and economic institutions that comprise modern liberal capitalism.
Analyze and assess the ethical and social consequences of the state’s regulation of markets from a variety of philosophical perspectives.
Understand and analyze the significant ideological, political, and economic forces that drive institutional change in industrialized societies.
General method of instruction
Lecture and discussion. Consistent student participation in class is encouraged and expected. We will examine a range of materials, including novels, film, and academic works that address the individual's relationship to the state.
Recommended preparation
Introduction to Political Theory (Pol S 201) is recommended but not required.
Class assignments and grading
One of the goals of this course it to help you develop your writing and analytic skills. Accordingly, you are expected to write theoretically sophisticated essays and papers.
Take home essay assignments (2 @ 120 each)= 240 Online response papers (3 @ 25 each)= 75 Participation (online and in-class) = 85
