COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
PIR 202	B	4	3	0	0	3	5

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	Dr. Avdi Smajljaj asmajljaj@epoka.edu.al
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Dr. Avdi Smajljaj asmajljaj@epoka.edu.al
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years)
Classroom and Meeting Time:
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:
Course Description:	-
Course Objectives:	This course aims to introduce students to the history of political ideas from modern times, starting from Hobbes to Rawls. The main issue within the the political philosophy covered in this course, but not limited to, are the followings: freedom, equality, legitimacy, political economy, liberalism, etc. Particular attention is paid to the development of political liberalism by thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and Mill, as well as the radical critiques of liberalism advanced by traditionalism, socialism, feminism, and critical theory. The course concludes with a look at the continuing impact of these canonical thinkers on contemporary political thought.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1	justice
2	modern politicla thought
3	rationalism
4	Renaissance
5	secularism
6	modernity
7	democracy
8	division of power
9	liberty

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Introduction to the course
2	Hobbes: three treatises, solipsism and egoism, contractarianism, agency and authorization, the neo-resistance compact between the subjects, de facto authority. (Boucher 214-231); Locke: a liberal theorist, social contract, equality of natural law, property economy and disagreement, limited government toleration and rule of law. (Boucher 231-247)
3	Montesquieu: as a critic of despotism, the separation of powers, law and the concept of general spirits, the theory of the three forms of government, political liberty, the liberty of the citizen. (Boucher 268-286); Rousseau: totalitarian, liberal, or republican, Rousseau's state of nature, Rousseau's criticisms of Hobbes, natural law and natural rights, the problem of freedom, freedom and dependence. Boucher (286-305); Wollstonecraft: nature sentiment and reason, Men's rights and women's freedom, private virtue and public order, lovers parents and citizens, Wollstonecraft and democracy. (Boucher 351-364).
4	Tocqueville: the appeal of Tocqueville, sustaining civic cultures: American lessons, creating freedom in history's shadow: French lessons, Democracy's need for stabilizing beliefs (Boucher 389-397); Mill: the philosophy of swine, utilitarian liberalism, the illiberal liberal. (Boucher 428-442); Burke: interpretations of Burke, sovereignty and constitutionalism, political obligation, the community of states. (Boucher 305-323)
5	Kant: Kant and contemporary liberalism, virtue and right, property and political obligation, revolution and reform, the global reach of justice. (Boucher 447-467)
6	Hegel: freedom, spirit and dialectic, from property, Hegel's significance. (Boucher 467-488)
7	Marx: the Manifesto of the Communist Party, ideology, the critique of political economy, history, revolutionary politics and the state, Engels's contribution to Marxism. (Boucher 488-518). Nietzsche: God is dead and we have killed him, Good and bad; good and evil, the victory of slave morality, bad conscience, the ascetic ideal and the Nihilism of modern secularism, the revaluation of values and the politics of difference: the friend and the enemy. (Boucher 522-543)
8	Mid-Term
9	Arendt: the human condition, truth and politics, totalitarianism. (the reading material will be distributed as handouts during the class).
10	Popper: open society and enemies, poverty of historicism, falsifiability. (the reading material will be distributed as handouts during the class).
11	Habermas: the theory of Communicative Action, between facts and norms and later political essays. (Boucher 587-604).
12	Rawls: the first principle equal basic liberties, the second principle: distributive economic justice, the original position, some problems in A Theory of Justice. (Boucher 605-624)
13	Foucault: critique of the present, history of systems of thought, power and freedom, governmentality subjectivity and ethics. (Boucher 625-647)
14	Course revision

Prerequisite(s):
Textbook(s):	Boucher, D. 3rd Ed. Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present. Oxford University Press. 2017. Alan Ryan: On Politics - A history of political thought - from Herodotus to the present, Liveright, 2012
Additional Literature:
Laboratory Work:
Computer Usage:
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	identify the main contribution of philosophers of modern and contemporary time to political thought
2	link and compare different perspectives of political philosophers of modern and contemporary time on political concepts
3	argue and discuss about political issues from philosophical perspective
4	command a critical thinking in political thought
5	apply political concepts, given by philosophers of modern and contemporary to study politics in contemporary world

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years) Program
1	Having and using advanced knowledge and comprehension supported by textbooks including actual knowledge in political sciences and international relations literature, materials and the other scientific resources.	5
2	Analyzing data, ideas and concepts of current political issues and international relations, determining complex events and topics, making discussions and developing new suggestions in accordance with researches.	5
3	Having knowledge and thought about actual topics and problems together with their historical, social and cultural aspects.	5
4	Introducing those who are interested in politics and international events with the topics of Political Science and IR and teaching clearly the problems and the types of solutions.	5
5	Improving skills of working together with the main social science disciplines and other disciplines which are related to Political Science and International Relations.	5
6	Improving critical thinking and skills in making research independently.	5
7	Developing solutions about the problems and conflicts which are common in national and international arena.	5
8	Improving skills for leadership and research and analyze capacity of those who is responsible with national and international ones.	5
9	Knowing any foreign language enough to communicate with colleagues and understand actual researches and articles.	5
10	Gaining IT skills to use computer and technology) in order to reach actual knowledge.	5
11	Gaining skills to follow societal, scientific and ethic values during collecting, interpreting, conducting of data related to social and political developments.	5
12	Having consciousness about human rights and environment.	5
13	Gaining the skills to follow actual developments and pursue long-life learning.	5

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Midterm Exam(s)	1	30
Presentation	1	10
Project	1	10
Final Exam	1	40
Attendance		10
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	3	48
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	14	3	42
Mid-terms	1	10	10
Assignments	1	10	10
Final examination	1	15	15
Other			0
Total Work Load:			125
Total Work Load/25(h):			5
ECTS Credit of the Course:			5

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

Linking theories in the modern political thought with the current political development helps students to better internalize the political thought within their knowledge about political thought.