PHL 412 Seminar in Political Philosophy: Republicanism
Instructor: Mark Schranz
Email: [email protected]
Lectures: TBA; Office Hours: TBA
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Course Description
This course is an in-depth examination of recent (civic) republican political philosophy, and in
particular of the work of Philip Pettit. The republican ideal of the state that we shall be
examining is one in which the primary obligation of the state is to promote the freedom of its
citizens. Contemporary republicans such as Pettit, however, have a much more expansive idea of
what freedom amounts to than some liberals have traditionally had: Such republicans think that
freedom requires not being dominated by your fellow citizens as opposed to merely not being
interfered with by them. Our course will examine this republican ideal both in terms of the
account of freedom that it offers and in terms on the broader political philosophy that entails. No
specific familiarity with contemporary republicanism is assumed, although a familiarity with
recent political political philosophy is strongly recommended. Students who do not have such a
familiarity are encouraged to contact the professor ahead of time for suggestions for
supplementary readings.
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Texts
• Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Justice (available online through the
University of Toronto Libraries).
• Philip Pettit, On the People’s Terms: A Republican Theory and Model of Democracy
(available for purchase online (ebook on Indigo/Chapters) or through the bookstore later in
the term).
• John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (available online through the University of Toronto
Libraries).
• A selection of articles, either online or on reserve at the library and available for photocopy
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Course Requirements
• Class Participation (15%) – see below
• In-Class Presentation (20%) - dates assigned in the first lecture - see below
• Weekly Critical Summaries, 1 pages in length (20%) – see below
• Final Paper, approximately 15 pages in length (45%) -- due on the last official day of
classes.
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Weekly Critical Summaries
For each of Lectures 2-11, each student is required to submit in advance a one-page critical
summary of the reading for that week. This critical summary may be single-spaced, but it must
be in 12-point Times New Roman font, with margins no less than I inch all around. Submission
of the critical summary is due by 6am sharp each Sunday preceding the Monday lecture. It is not
possible to submit a critical summary late, since the professor requires adequate time to read over
and grade the critical summaries as a group before class. Please note that it is possible to miss
PHL 412 Republican Political Theory; (c) Mark Schranz 2014. Do not use without permission.
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two out of ten critical summaries without penalty - only the best eight critical summaries will
count towards your final grade.
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Class sessions are largely discussion driven, and your critical summaries are a key component of
these discussions. You should not only show that you understand the text you chose as a whole,
but also have at least one well reasonably well developed critical point or question.
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Late Papers
Late papers will be penalized 3% per day, including weekends. Extensions will only be permitted
because of illness, bereavement, or other extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances.
Documentation will be required.
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Class Participation
Class participation is solely a function of your participation in class discussions, especially those
discussions immediately connected to your classmates’ presentations. It is therefore imperative
that you come to class prepared to discuss the readings and interact with your classmates in an
informed and respectful manner.
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In-Class Presentation
Each student is required to give one in-class presentation during weeks 2-11 of the course. These
presentations will be between 20 and 30 minutes each, depending on enrolment. The presentation
is expected to both provide a summary of the readings and to help generate critical discussion of
the issues involved. To this end it is suggested that each presentation provide between three and
four critical questions that will be used to guide class discussion.
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In the event that a student is unable to attend class on the day they have chosen to give their
presentation (and they have appropriate medical or other documentation), every effort will be
made to reschedule their presentation if there is an available slot. However, if there is no
additional slot available, the student may submit a short 6-page critical paper in lieu of their
presentation.
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Final Paper
Students will write a final paper on a topic of their choosing that falls within the purview of the
course. Before selecting on a topic, the student must consult with the professor about that topic.
It is highly recommended that the student consult with the professor, at least in a preliminary
manner, about the final paper by the end of the sixth week of the course, and it is required that
the student have chosen a topic and consulted with the professor by the end of the ninth week of
the course.
!*** Please Note: Sections on Submission of Papers, Website, Email Policy, Classroom Etiquette,
Plagiarism, Office Hours, Accessibility, and Letters of Support are omitted from this version for
conciseness. They are identical to the sections for PHL271 (given elsewhere on my site).
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PHL 412 Republican Political Theory; (c) Mark Schranz 2014. Do not use without permission.
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Lectures, Reading Schedule, and Learning Objectives:
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Unit 1: Background
Learning Objectives: In this unit we will very briefly examine some of the major positions in
political philosophy and on the concept of freedom that form the
background within which Pettit’s Republicanism can be situated.
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Lecture 1
Introduction to Course, Major Themes
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Lecture 2
Lecture 3
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Background: Freedom
Readings:
(1)
Berlin, I. ‘Two Concepts of Liberty’
(2)
MacCallum, G. ‘Negative and Positive Freedom’
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Background: Liberalism and Libertarianism
Readings:
(1)
Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Ch. I, § 1-6; Ch. II, § 10-15.
(2)
Robert Nozick, ‘Distributive Justice’
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Unit 2: Republicanism
Learning Objectives: In this unit we will conduct an in-depth examination of Pettit’s seminal
book Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government. In particular
we shall try to see how the republican understanding of freedom differs
from previous ones and how the republican ideal of the state fares in terms
of the dominant justificatory frameworks in political philosophy.
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Lecture 4
Republicanism I
Readings:
(1)
Pettit, Republicanism, Ch. 1-2
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Lecture 5
Lecture 6
Lecture 7
Republicanism II
Readings:
(1)
Pettit, Republicanism, Ch. 3-4
Republicanism III
Readings:
(1)
Pettit, Republicanism, Ch. 5-6
Republicanism IV
Readings:
(1)
Pettit, Republicanism, Ch. 7-8
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Unit 3: Critiques of the Republican Ideal
Learning Objectives: In this unit we examine some central challenges to Pettit’s Republicanism,
including the charge that the republican ideal of freedom is not ultimately
coherent and the charge that the republican ideal cannot completely make
sense of the domination suffered by subordinate social groups.
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PHL 412 Republican Political Theory; (c) Mark Schranz 2014. Do not use without permission.
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Lecture 8
Critiques of the Republican Ideal I
Readings:
(1)
Kramer, ‘Liberty and Domination’
(2)
Carter, ‘How are Power and Unfreedom Related?’
Lecture 9
Critiques of the Republican Ideal II
Readings:
(1)
Skinner, ‘Freedom as the Absence of Arbitrary Power’
(2)
Friedman, ‘Pettit’s Civic Republicanism and Male
Domination’
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Unit 4: The Revised Republican Ideal
Learning Objectives: In this unit we shall examine the most recent version of republican theory
put forth by Pettit, namely On the People’s Terms: A Republican Theory and Model of
Democracy. Particular attention will be paid to the difference in Pettit’s view that came about in
the fifteen or so years since the publication of Republicanism and to whether these changes
adequately respond to the critiques he faced over the years.
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Lecture 10
On The People’s Terms I
Readings:
(1)
Pettit, On the People’s Terms, Ch. 1-2
(2)
TBD supplementary reading, time permitting
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Lecture 11
On The People’s Terms II
Readings:
(1)
Pettit, On the People’s Terms, Ch. 3-4
(2)
TBD supplementary reading, time permitting
Lecture 12
On The People’s Terms III
Readings:
(1)
Pettit, On the People’s Terms, 5 & Conclusion
(2)
TBD supplementary reading, time permitting
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PHL 412 Republican Political Theory; (c) Mark Schranz 2014. Do not use without permission.
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