ATS3869 - Political philosophy - 2017

The overarching aim of this unit is to give students a strong foundation in political philosophy. The unit focuses on three principal questions: How are political institutions justified? How should wealth and income be distributed in the just state? And when is it justified to punish someone for violating a state's laws? Students will be introduced to central attempts to answer these questions, using both classical and contemporary authors.

On successful completion of the unit, students will have:

1. mastered fundamental concepts in political philosophy;
2. acquired familiarity the methodology of political philosophy and how political philosophy relates to other branches of philosophy;
3. be able to identify relevant literature for the purposes of scholarly work on political philosophy;
4. improved written and oral communication skills;
5. undertaken independent research and reading in completing the assignments.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Dr John Thrasher

Bioethics

Philosophy

A cornerstone unit in Philosophy.

ATS2869, AZA2869, AZA3869