COURSE INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION


Course Name
Liberalism and Its Critics
Code
Semester
Theory
(hour/week)
Application/Lab
(hour/week)
Local Credits
ECTS
PSIR 674
Fall/Spring
3
0
3
7.5
Prerequisites
None
Course Language
English
Course Type
Elective
Course Level
Third Cycle
Mode of Delivery -
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course
Course Coordinator -
Course Lecturer(s)
Assistant(s)
Course Objectives This seminar course will explore contemporary contributions to and criticisms of the liberal tradition.
Learning Outcomes The students who succeeded in this course;
  • to assess the place occupied by the liberal tradition within political theory
  • to evaluate the ethical and epistemological assumptions of different theoretical approaches within liberal political theory
  • to interpret core concepts of liberal political theory
  • to assess political phenomena and problems from a critical perspective
  • to make scholarly contributions to political theory, political science and international relations
  • to participate in academic debate through seminar presentations and class discussion
  • to apply political theory to contemporary public debates
Course Description Contemporary disputes within and criticisims of the liberal tradition will be examined.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

 



Course Category

Core Courses
Major Area Courses
Supportive Courses
Media and Managment Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

 

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week Subjects Required Materials
1 Introduction: Liberalism(s) and Its Critics
2 The Priority of Liberty Benjamin Constant, “The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns”, Constant: Political Writings (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988). Judith Shklar, “Liberalism of Fear”, Political Thought and Political Thinkers (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1998).
3 Negative and Positive Freedom Isaiah Berlin, “Two Concepts of Liberty”, Four Essays on Liberty (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969). Supplementary Reading: John Gray, “On Negative and Positive Liberty”, Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy, Z. Pelczynski and J. Gray (London: The Athlone Press, 1984).
4 Freedom and People's Sovereignty F.A. Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty, Introduction and Part I: The Value of Freedom (London: Routledge, 2000 [1960]). Supplementary Reading: Norman Barry, “Hayek on Liberty”, Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy, Z. Pelczynski and J. Gray (London: The Athlone Press, 1984).
5 Freedom and the Rule of Law F.A. Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty, Part II: Freedom and the Law. Supplementary Reading: Norman Barry, “Hayek on Liberty”, Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy, Z. Pelczynski and J. Gray (London: The Athlone Press, 1984).
6 Rawls’ Political Liberalism John Rawls, Political Liberalism, Introduction and Introduction to the Paperback Edition, Lecture 1: Fundamental Ideas, Lecture IV: The Idea of an Overlapping Consensus (New York: Columbia University Press, 1996 [1993]).
7 Postmodern Liberalism Richard Rorty, Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity, Chapter 3: The Contingency of a Liberal Community & Chapter 4: Private Irony and Liberal Hope (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989).
8 Liberal Toleration and Modus Vivendi John Gray, Two Faces of Liberalism, Chapter 1: Liberal Tolertion & Chapter 4: Modus Vivendi (New York: The New Press, 2000).
9 Paper Submission
10 Freedom and Public Space Hannah Arendt, “What is Freedom?” Between Past and Future (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1977 [1961]). Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition, Part I: The Human Condition & Part II: The Public and the Private Realm (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1998 [1958]. Supplementary Readings: 1. Margaret Canovan, Introduction to The Human Condition. 2. Ronald Beiner, Action, Natality and Citizenship: Hannah Arendt’s Concept of Freedom, Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy, Z. Pelczynski and J. Gray (London: The Athlone Press, 1984).
11 Freedom and Action Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition, Part V: Action. Supplementary Readings: 1. Margaret Canovan, Introduction to The Human Condition. 2. Ronald Beiner, Action, Natality and Citizenship: Hannah Arendt’s Concept of Freedom, Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy, Z. Pelczynski and J. Gray (London: The Athlone Press, 1984).
12 Struggle for Recognition Axel Honneth, “Integrity and Disrespect” Political Theory, 20 (2) (1992):187-201. Axel Honneth, The Struggle for Recognition, (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1995), 92-139. Supplementary Reading: Joel Anderson, Translator’s Introduction, The Struggle for Recognition.
13 Recognition and Redistribution Nancy Fraser, “Social Justice in the Age of Identity Politics: Redistribution, Recognition, and Participation”, Redistribution or Recognition: A Political-Philosphical Exchange, Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth (London: Verso, 2003). Supplementary Reading: Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth, “Introduction”, Redistribution or Recognition: A Political-Philosphical Exchange.
14 Deliberative Democracy Jürgen Habermas, “Three Normative Models of Democracy” and “On the Internal Relation between the Rule of Law and Democracy”, The Inclusion of the Other: Studies in Political Theory (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1998).
15 Agonistic Democracy Chantal Mouffe, The Return of the Political (London: Verso, 1993), 1-22, 102-154.
16 Final Exam
Course Notes/Textbooks

Required readings listed above.

All course readings are available at the University Library and as open sources.

Suggested Readings/Materials

 

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Activities Number Weigthing
Participation
1
30
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
3
30
Presentation / Jury
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterm
Final Exam
1
40
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade
4
60
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
1
40
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Semester Activities Number Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
3
48
Laboratory / Application Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
Study Hours Out of Class
10
8
80
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
3
20
Presentation / Jury
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterms
Final Exams
1
37
    Total
225

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#
Program Competencies/Outcomes
* Contribution Level
1
2
3
4
5
1

To be able to improve and deepen the theoretical and conceptual proficiencies on Political Science and International Relations.

X
2

To be able to evaluate critically and analytically the relationships between various factors in the discipline of Political Science and International Relations such as structures, actors, institutions and culture at an advanced level.

3

To be able to determine the theoretical and empirical gaps in Political Science and International Relations literature and gain the ability of questioning at an advanced level.

X
4

To be able to gain the ability to develop innovative, leading and original arguments in order to fill the gaps in Political Science and International Relations literature.

X
5

To be able to gather, analyze, and interpret the data by using advanced qualitative or quantitative research methods in Political Science and International Relations.

6

To be able to develop original academic works and publish scientific articles in refereed national or international indexed journals in the field of Political Science and International Relations.

X
7

To be able to describe individual research and contemporary developments in Political Science and International Relations in written, oral, and visual forms.

X
8

To be able to take responsibility in an individual capacity and/or as part of a team in generating innovative and analytical solutions to the problems that arise in relation to the politics in daily life.

X
9

To be able to develop projects in determining the institutional and political instruments for conflict resolution in national and international politics.

10

To be able to prepare an original thesis in Political Science and International Relations based on scientific criteria.

X
11

To be able to follow new research and developments, publish scientific articles and participate the debates in academic meetings in Political Science and International Relations through a foreign language.

X
12

To be able to have ethical, social and scientific values in the stages throughout the processes of gathering, interpreting, disseminating and implementing data relevant to Political Science and International Relations.

X

*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest