Courses / Module

• Distinguish political philosophy and other divisions in philosophy, as well as political science and political history, realizing that in fact many of those contemporary divisions are artificial and unnecessary, when engaged in studying political philosophy.
• Identify the unique patterns of the political speculations in each historical context (ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and early modern), paying attention to the relevant questions and problems dealt by each philosopher in each historical context
• Address and answer questions such as: can we blame Plato or Aristotle for not supporting democracy, or Machiavelli for not being a liberal?
• Appreciate the political speculations of Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero, mainly regarding obligation, legitimization, and the notion of the common good.
• Deal with questions such as: is politics natural to man? why do we need political structures? how the concept of ‘justice’ is connected to the polis or to the Roman state?
• Analyse the debate regarding the Church and the state, the pope and the emperor, the papacy and the empire, spiritual and political government, as reflected in many different contexts by different thinkers in the Christian era, starting from some biblical political models, and moving on to the Church’s Fathers, especially, Augustine, and then to later medieval thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, Marsilio of Padova, William Ockham, Jean of Paris, and Dante Alighieri.
• Elaborate on the novelty of Machiavelli’s approach to political philosophy and the break he represents with regard to all previous speculations and political theories, while dealing with the questions: does morality have any connection to political philosophy? is politics autonomous and ‘free’ from good and evil virtues?

• 22 lecture hours (11 weeks x 2 lecture hours per week); 3 tutorial hours (x 6 tutorial groups); directed reading, reflection, discussion and writing.

• Module Graded (numeric value) or Ungraded (Pass/Not Passed): Graded
• Continuous Assessment detail(s): 10% = Attendance at Tutorials. 20% = Tutorial Essay-Assignment (c. 1,000 words) 70% = Final Essay-Assignment (c. 2,000 words).

• Pass standard: 40%
• Could the result of this module be capped? No
• Penalties: As set out in the student handbook.

This timetable is not currently available, please contact the Philosophy Department.