: POL3113 : Issues in Contemporary World Politics : Semester B, 2014/15
Course Code Course Title Offering Semester Classroom Date & Time Credit Units Course Duration Course Leader
: : : : :
AC2 1402 Wednesday 09:00-11:50 3 One Semester Dr. Hsin-wen Lee Email:
[email protected] : N/A Email:
Course Tutor(s)
Office: AC1-B 7526
Tel: 3442-8900
Office:
Tel:
Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs) 1. To introduce to the students some of the important issues and events in contemporary world politics. 2. To familiarize the students with relevant moral concepts and political theories. 3. To equip the students with the skills and capacity to critically analyze these issues. 4. To help the students develop informed views on these matters. A student shall be able to articulate his/her own argument and defend his/her own view against possible objections. 5. This course will introduce to the students some of the important issues in contemporary world politics, including patriotism, cosmopolitanism, human rights, immigration, economic development, global inequality, poverty, and civil disobedience. People have different and conflicting views on these matters. These issues raise controversies around the world, including Hong Kong. We will consider some of the philosophical discussions regarding these issues, including important arguments and counterarguments. The instructor will try her best to help the students understand the arguments from both sides. She will also help the students to consider some of the possible objections from the opponents and responses from the proponents. Once a student understands these arguments and counterarguments, he/she will be able to form and defend his/her own views. Students shall develop a genuine interest in world political affairs. Students shall also learn to think critically Department of Public Policy, City University of Hong Kong
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about the important issues in contemporary world politics.
Assessment Tasks Coursework : - Column Essays: 50 % - Final Quiz: 50% TOTAL: 100% Five Short Commentary Essays 50%
Students are to submit at least FIVE column-style essays, each account for 10 points. If a student submits more than five essays, we will count the highest five. The third hour of the lecture will be devoted to discussion. Students will write their own columns on a bi-weekly basis. We will talk about these columns during tutorial sessions. Starting from week 3, students shall plan to submit a short commentary essay (1 page) at the beginning of each tutorial session. One discussion topic is listed for each lecture and there are eight discussion topics altogether. The commentary should consider an ethical issue relevant to the discussion topic of the week. The commentary should consider a controversial issue or an event that happened within the last six month. It could be a domestic or an international event, policy, or phenomena. Students may also write to respond to a newspaper column or opinion. Students may talk to each other about the topic and comment on the same issue. However, each student must submit their own individual commentary essay. The instructor may, from time to time, post on the blackboard some important issues for your reference. You may use it as a reference but you are not required to do so. In your column, you should first briefly describe the event and explain why it raised controversy—what are the opposing opinions? What are their arguments? What do proponents and opponents want? What do you think would be the best solution? You are encouraged, but not required, to make use of the political/ moral theories you learned in class to evaluate the event of your choice. In the event that a theory is relevant but not considered in your column, the instructor may ask you to consider the theory’s relevance. In your column, please include (1) A description (in your own words) of the event and why it matters/ why we should care. (2) Source.
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Students must upload an electronic copy to turnitin before Tuesday 15:00. Students must also bring hardcopies to class meetings. The instructor will ask the students to discuss their commentary at the end of the lecture Final Quiz
Students will take the final quiz on April 22. The final exam is comprehensive. The quiz shall last for two hours, from 09:00-11:00 in the regular classroom.
Academic Honesty Academic honesty is central to the conduct of academic work. Students are expected to present their own work, give proper acknowledgement of other’s work, and honestly report findings obtained. Academic dishonesty is regarded as a serious offence in the University. Any related offence can lead to disciplinary action with a penalty including expulsion from the University and debarment from re-admission. Extracted from Rules on Academic Honesty, City University of Hong Kong http://www.cityu.edu.hk/provost/academic_honesty/rules_on_academic_honesty.htm
Minimum Requirement for Passing the Course Students are required to obtain at least 40% of the coursework marks (i.e. at least grade “D”) to pass the course.
Lecture Schedule Week Week 1 Jan 14
Lecture Topic Introduction
In-Class Activity Course Content Requirements Basic Concepts and Distinctions Crito
Week 2 Jan 21
Patriotism vs. Cosmopolitanism (A)
Alasdair MacIntyre, “Is Patriotism a Virtue?” (GE) Thomas Hurka, “The Justification of National Partiality” (GE) David Miller, “Reasonable Partiality Towards Compatriots,” Ethical Theory and Moral Practice Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2005, Pp. 63-81. Discussion: Is patriotism a virtue?
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Week 3 Jan 28
Patriotism vs. Cosmopolitanism (B) – Patriotism is not a Virtue
Charles R. Beitz, “Cosmopolitan Ideals and National Sentiment,” Journal of Philosophy 80: 10, October 1983, 591-600. Robert Goodin, “What is So Special About Our Fellow Countrymen?” Ethics, 98: 4 (July 1988): 663-86. (GJ) Discussion Topic (1): Patriotism vs. Cosmopolitanism
Week 4 Feb 4
Human Rights and Basic Rights (A)
Charles Beitz, “What Human Rights Mean,” Daedalus, 132: 1 (2003) 36-46. Charles Beitz, “Human Rights as a Common Concern” American Political Science Review 95:2, 2001, 269-282. Henry Shue, “Basic Rights” (GJ) Thomas Pogge, “Cosmopolitanism and Sovereignty” Ethics 103: 1 (Oct 1992): 48-75. Discussion Topic (1): Patriotism vs. Cosmopolitanism
Week 5 Feb 11
Human Rights and Basic Rights (B)
Christopher Heath Wellman, “Taking Human Rights Seriously. The Journal of Political Philosophy: 20:1, 2012, 119-130. Discussion Topic (2): Human Rights and Basic Rights
Week 6 Feb 25
Civil Disobedience & Conscientious Objection (A)
Martin Luther King (PT ) Henry Thoreau (PT) John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, 319-343 (TJ) Discussion Topic (2): Human Rights and Basic Rights
Week 7 March 4
Civil Disobedience & Conscientious Objection (B)
M.B.E. Smith, “Is There a Prima Facie Obligation to Obey the Law?” The Yale Law Journal, 82:5 (Apr. 1973), 950-976. Discussion Topic (3): Civil Disobedience & Conscientious Objection
Week 8 March 11
Immigration
John Carens, Aliens and Citizens: The Case for Open Borders, The Review of Politics, Vol. 49, No. 2, 1987, pp. 251-273.
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Arash Abizadeh, “Democratic Theory and Border Coercion—No Right to Unilaterally Control Your Own Borders,” Political Theory 2008. Michael Blake, “Immigration, Jurisdiction, and Exclusion,” Philosophy and Public Affairs, 41:2, 2013, 103-130. Christopher Heath Wellman, “Immigration and Freedom of Association,” Ethics 119 (October 2008) Discussion Topic (3): Civil Disobedience & Conscientious Objection Week 9 March 18 Week 10 March 25
Global Inequality & Poverty Global Inequality & Poverty (A)
Blood Diamond Garrett Hardin, “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor,” (GE) Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Thomas Pogge, “Assisting the Global Poor” (PDF available online)
Discussion Topic (4): Immigration Week 11 April 1 Week 12 April 15
Reading Week—No Class Meeting Global Inequality & Poverty (B)
Peter Singer, “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” (The New York Times Magazine) Onora O’Neill, “Rights, Obligations and World Hunger (GE) Onora O’Neill, “Lifeboat Earth,” Philosophy and Public Affairs, 4:3 (Spring 1975) 273-92. Amartya Sen, “The Concept of Development,” (GE) Discussion Topic (5): Global Inequality & Poverty
Week 13 April 22
Final Exam (2 Hours)
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Required Readings On Reserve at the CityU Library: Global Ethics: Seminal Essays, Thomas Pogge and Keith Horton (eds.), Paragon House, 2008. (GE) Global Justice: Seminal Essays, Thomas Pogge and Darrell Mollendorf (eds.), Paragon House, 2008. (GJ) The Morality of Nationalism, Robert McKim and Jeff McMahan (eds.) Oxford University Press, 1997 (ebook available at CityU library). (MN) A Theory of Justice, John Rawls, Oxford University Press, 1999. (TJ) Political Thought Oxford University Press, Jonathan Wolff and Michael Rosen (eds.), Oxford University Press. (PT)
Supplementary Readings Online Sources: - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus as events warrant.
Last update: January 14, 2015
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