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WOFFORD COLLEGE COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
1. Department or Program Philosophy
2. Course Number
3. Course Title Social and Political Philosophy
4. Class hrs. per week 3 Lab/Studio hrs. per week 0 Sem. hrs. credit 3
5. Course objectives (number each within the statement)
1. Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of some of the most influential theories of political organization, justice, rights, and political justification.
2. Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the role of class, gender, and race in politics.
3. Students will develop their ability to write and think critically.
6. Course description for catalogue (make the statement succinct)
An introduction to some of the most influential theories of Western social and political thought. Topics include: the nature and legitimacy of political authority and democracy, the role of morality in society, the duties and responsibilities of citizens, and the challenges of diversity and inclusion. Multicultural and feminist perspectives are components of the course.
7. Prerequisites, corequisites, and special permissions:
None
8. Will the course replace a current course? (please specify)
No
9. Enrollment cap and expected enrollment 25 per section
10. Will the course meet a major, minor, program, emphasis, concentration, or General Education requirement? If so, specify the program and requirement the course will fulfill.
Major and General Education
11. How often will the course be taught?
Two sections in one semester
12. Is the course part of a Learning Community? If so, to what other course(s) is it linked?
No
13. Text(s) and primary resources required of students (be specific)
Social and Political Philosophy, ed. James Sterba, Thomason Wadsworth, 2003. Various handouts.
14. Specify activities outside of the classroom (e.g., off-campus field trips)
None expected.
15. Basis for grade determination (be as specific as possible)
25% for class participation and three examinations (each at 25%).
16. Library resources and services to be used.
None expected.
17. Course instructors (indicate the department of each in parentheses)
Nancy M. Williams (Philosophy)
18. Outline of class content
Week 1-Introduction; Plato: The Republic (selections)
Week 2-Lynda Lange: The Function of Equal Education in Plato’s Republic; Confucius: The Analects
Week 3-Aristotle: The Politics; Elizabeth Spelman: Aristotle and the Politicization of the Soul
Week 4-Exam #1;Thomas Hobbes: Leviathan (selections)
Week 5- Bartolome de Las Casas: The Devastation of the Indies
Week 6-Carole Pateman: Hobbes, Patriarchy, and Conjugal Right
Week 7-John Locke: Two Treatises on Government (selections); L. Clark: Who Owns the Apples in the Garden of Eden?
Week 8-Jean-Jacques Rousseau: On the Social Contract (selections); Emile
Week 9-Ward Churchill: Perversions of Justice: A Native-American Examination of the Doctrine of U.S. Rights to Occupancy in North America; Exam #2
Week 10-John Stuart Mill: On Liberty (selections) and The Subjection of Women
Mo Tzu: Universal Love
Week 11-Marx and Engels: Communist Manifesto (selections); Engels: The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State
Week 12-John Rawls: Justice as Fairness (selections); Susan Okin: Justice as Fairness—For Whom?
Week 13-Michel Foucault: Power/Knowledge; Cornel West: Philosophy, Politics, and Power: An Afro-American Perspective
Week 14- Cornel West: The Politics of American Neo-Pragmatism; Final Exam
19. Signature of Department Chair or Program Coordinator
20. Date submitted to Curriculum Committee
21. Date approved by Faculty
22. Date copy filed in office of Dean of the College