Module Details

The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module.
Title LIBERTY, JUSTICE AND THE GOOD SOCIETY
Code PHIL219
Coordinator Professor SA Hailwood
Philosophy
Hailwood@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2022-23 Level 5 FHEQ Second Semester 15

Aims

Students will be invited to consider the theories and arguments of thinkers who have shaped contemporary political philosophy, such as John Rawls, Robert Nozick and Michael Walzer. Students will be asked to consider some of the main concepts in political philosophy, including freedom, equality and justice. Students will be invited to appreciate the variety of philosophical issues raised by contemporary political debates around controversial topics, such as feminism and multiculturalism.


Learning Outcomes

(LO1) Students will be able to distinguish some of the main concepts in debates within contemporary political philosophy.

(LO2) Students will be able to explain different ways of understanding concepts employed in debates in contemporary political philosophy.

(LO3) Students will be able to explain and evaluate some of the main theories in contemporary political philosophy.

(LO4) Students will be able to analyse concepts and arguments relating to contemporary political issues.

(LO5) Students will be able to identify philosophical assumptions underlying political questions and claims.

(LO6) Students will be able to speak with confidence and clarity on issues of contemporary political philosophy.

(LO7) Students will be able to explain details of influential texts in recent political philosophy.

(LO8) Students will be able to articulate and defend positions on issues in contemporary political philosophy.

(LO9) Students will be able to write coherently and rigorously about philosophical issues raised by current political controversies.

(LO10) Students will be able to structure a discussion of issues in contemporary political philosophy.

(S1) Students will develop their skills in making appropriate use of information technology, information on the World Wide Web and reference works and databases relevant to the discipline.

(S2) Students will enhance their capacity to participate, in a dispassionate and respectful manner, in debates about controversial and profound matters.

(S3) Students will develop their willingness critically to evaluate and reflect upon arguments, beliefs, proposals and values, both their own and those of others.

(S4) Students will enhance their abilities in reading and understanding texts and in comprehending abstract material.

(S5) Students will develop their skills in thinking critically, analysing problems and reconstructing and evaluating arguments.

(S6) Students will enhance their ability to identify and reflect critically upon the issues that underlie debates.

(S7) Students will develop confidence in considering previously unfamiliar ideas and approaches.

(S8) Students will enhance their ability to marshal arguments and present them orally and in writing.

(S9) Students will develop the ability to perform bibliographical searches, to include (to professional standard) citations and bibliographies in their work and to plan, organise and produce presentations and essays.

(S10) Students will enhance their oral and written communications skills and develop skill in explaining complex material in a precise manner.


Syllabus

 

Liberty and Libertarianism: Berlin and Nozick
Equality and Justice: Rawls and Walzer
Communitarianism
Democracy and Multiculturalism
Contemporary Marxism
Feminism
Overview


Teaching and Learning Strategies

‘Standard’ delivery is campus-based. Hybrid/online variants are given below.

Teaching Method 1 - Lecture: online asynchronous in hybrid/online teaching
Description: Lectures are tutor-led activities, offering a map of the syllabus, a route through relevant philosophical issues and arguments and a framework for independent enquiry-led research. Students are encouraged to engage actively with lectures through, for example: (i) taking opportunities to ask questions during the session; (ii) reflecting on and responding to questions posed to them; (iii) producing questions and notes on issues for subsequent group discussion in seminars.
Attendance Recorded: No
Notes: Lectures are supplemented by weekly summaries, other resources and/or lecture capture made available to students via CANVAS.

Teaching Method 2 - Seminar: Either online (synchronous) or on campus (synchronous) if circumstances permit.
Description: Seminars are formative spaces of appl ied and enquiry-led learning based on pre-set readings and facilitated by the tutor. Seminars thus offer opportunities for students to respond to tutor- and peer-set questions, deepen understanding, apply ideas, develop arguments and build confidence through group discussion. One or two students take the lead each week through delivering presentations based on their engagement with the set readings and issues they identify arising out of it.
Attendance Recorded: Yes


Teaching Schedule

  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours 11

11

        22
Timetable (if known)              
Private Study 128
TOTAL HOURS 150

Assessment

EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Assessment 3 – Exam Take-home exam if hybrid/online, submitted digitally. There is a resit opportunity. This is an anonymous assessment.  24    60       
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Assessment 1 - Presentation This is not an anonymous assessment. Reassessment opportunity: Yes    10       
Assessment 2 - Essay There is a resit opportunity. Standard UoL penalty applies for late submission. This is an anonymous assessment.    30       

Recommended Texts

Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module.