Information Package
baskent.edu.tr

Program of Political Science and International Relations (English 30%)

PSIR222

HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT II

Course Code
PSIR222
Semester
Fourth Term (Spring)
Theory+Practice
3 + 0
ECTS
5
Course TypeCompulsory Course
Course LevelBachelor's Degree
Year of Study2
SemesterFourth Term (Spring)
ECTS5
Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

  1. Have knowledge about the seminal works of the influential political thinkers;
  2. Comprehend the origins and theories of the ongoing political debates in today's political world;
  3. Distinguish different viewpoints by making use of the primary sources of political theory;
  4. Know the mutual interaction between current political life and political thought.
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
PrerequisitesNo
Recommended Optional Programme ComponentsThere is no recommended optional programme component for this course.
Course DescriptionThis course is designed for Political Science and International Relations undergraduate students to comprehend the development of the modern liberal system of thought between the 16th and 20th centuries and the emergence of alternative systems of thought that object to this system of thought on various grounds within the historical background of the period. The course, which will focus on thinkers who have made significant contributions to the world of modern Western political thought, is organized under three headings. In the first part, sovereignty, which is the main issues of modern western political thought, and contract theories that describe the modern state will be explained through Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau. In the second part, the relationship between the Enlightenment and modern state concepts will be explained through thinkers such as Benedictus Spinoza and Baron de Montesquieu. In the last part, the understanding of liberalism and the modern state that emerged after the French Revolution and the systems of thought and ideologies that object to this understanding. In this framework, a series of oppositions shaping modern political thought (republicanism/libertarianism, liberalism/conservatism, individualism/utilitarianism, liberalism/socialism, etc.) will be discussed in the context of the works of Edmund Burke, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Thomas Hill Green and Karl Marx.
Course Contents
WEEK TOPICS
1st Week Introduction of the Course and Syllabus
2nd Week Modern State and Sovereignty as Fundamental Issues of Modern Political Thought
3rd Week Thomas Hobbes and the Birth of Contract Theory
4th Week John Locke and Liberal Contractualism
5th Week Jean Jacques Rousseau and Republican Contractarianism
6th Week Benedictus Spinoza and the Origins of Enlightenment
7th Week Midterm Exam
8th Week Liberty, Equality and Progress as Principles of Enlightenment Thought: Baron de Montesquieu and the Limits of State Power
9th Week Intellectual Origins of the French Revolution
10th Week Edmund Burke and Conservatism
11th Week Jeremy Bentham and Utilitarianism
12th Week J. S. Mill and the Reinterpretation of Liberal Freedom
13th Week Rights and Obligations in T. H. Green and English Idealism
14th Week Marx and Marxism
Recommended or Required ReadingTextbooks
Ağaoğulları, M. A. (2015) Sokrates'ten Jakobenlere Batı?da Siyasal Düşünceler (İstanbul: İletişim).
Tunçay, M. (2005) Batı'da Siyasal Düşünceler Tarihi 2/Yeni Çağ (İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları).
Tunçay, M. (2016) Batı'da Siyasal Düşünceler Tarihi 3/Yakın Çağ (İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları).
Marx, K. ve F. Engels (1999) Komünist Parti Manifestosu (İstanbul: Evrensel).
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
  • Lecture
  • Discussion
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Quantity Percentage (%)
Mid-term 1 35
Attendance 1 8
Other 1 12
Total(%) 55
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 55
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 45
Total(%) 100
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration (Hour) Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam 1 1.5 1.5
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work 14 2 28
Preparation for Final exam 1 45 45
Course hours 14 3 42
Preparation for Midterm exam 1 35 35
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam 1 1.5 1.5
Homework
Total Work Load153
Total Work Load / 30 (h)5.1
ECTS Credit of the Course5
Language of InstructionTurkish
Work Placement(s)No

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
K1
K2
K3
K4
K5 X
K6
K7 X X
K8
K9 X X X
K10 X X X
K11 X
K12
K13