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Course info
KFR / MHIPP
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Course description
Department/Unit / Abbreviation
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KFR
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MHIPP
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Academic Year
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2024/2025
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Academic Year
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2024/2025
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Title
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History of Political Philosophy
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Form of course completion
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Examination
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Form of course completion
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Examination
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Accredited / Credits
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Yes,
7
Cred.
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Type of completion
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Combined
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Type of completion
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Combined
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Time requirements
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Lecture
2
[HRS/WEEK]
Seminar
2
[HRS/WEEK]
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Course credit prior to examination
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Yes
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Course credit prior to examination
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Yes
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Automatic acceptance of credit before examination
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No
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Included in study average
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YES
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Language of instruction
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English
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Occ/max
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Automatic acceptance of credit before examination
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No
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Summer semester
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0 / -
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0 / -
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0 / -
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Included in study average
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YES
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Winter semester
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0 / 10
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0 / 0
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0 / 20
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Repeated registration
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NO
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Repeated registration
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NO
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Timetable
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Yes
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Semester taught
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Winter semester
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Semester taught
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Winter semester
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Minimum (B + C) students
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not determined
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Optional course |
Yes
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Optional course
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Yes
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Language of instruction
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English
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Internship duration
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0
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No. of hours of on-premise lessons |
0
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Evaluation scale |
A|B|C|D|E|F |
Periodicity |
každý rok
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Evaluation scale for credit before examination |
S|N |
Periodicita upřesnění |
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Fundamental theoretical course |
Yes
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Fundamental course |
No
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Fundamental theoretical course |
Yes
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Evaluation scale |
A|B|C|D|E|F |
Evaluation scale for credit before examination |
S|N |
Substituted course
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None
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Preclusive courses
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N/A
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Prerequisite courses
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N/A
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Informally recommended courses
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N/A
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Courses depending on this Course
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N/A
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Histogram of students' grades over the years:
Graphic PNG
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XLS
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Course objectives:
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The course is conceived as an interpretation of basic political-philosophical positions from antiquity to the present. The lectures should introduce students to the major figures in the history of political thought and show that their theories are not merely historically contingent concepts but attempts to solve political problems still relevant today. The course will be divided into two parts, the ancient (Mondays) and modern (Thursdays).
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Ancient:
How did ancient philosophers and intellectuals understand politics, the political community, and civic virtue? What were their ideas about good and flawed rulers, laws, and regimes? In this course we will study and discuss some of the main issues and themes in ancient political philosophy (roughly from the 5th until the 1st c. BCE) by reading selections from key texts in translation. Rather than taking our cue from some central problems in the history of political philosophy (equality, sovereignty, legitimacy, obligation, etc.), this course takes a 'bottom up' approach, starting from the ancient texts themselves. The emphasis will be on the ways in which the analysis of 'political' questions for ancient authors was deeply integrated with ethics, ways of life, and social and economic issues, and on the particularities of the many viewpoints reflected in the texts.
Themes that will be discussed include: ancient thinking on democracy (Protagoras, Aristotle), ancient thinking on monarchy and kingship, challenges to moral and political thought in the form of immoralist arguments, distinctions between regimes, ideas about law, utopia, the ideal city, and civic virtue. In the last session, we will look at the reception of ancient ideas about kingship in an Italian Renaissance philosopher, who, though largely unknown today, deserves to be on a par with Machiavelli (as was recently argued by James Hankins in his 2023 book on Francesco Patrizi of Siena).
The classes will consist of discussion of the course material. Students are expected to read carefully the texts in preparation for each class. For each class (with exception of the first class of 25.09), they will prepare (a) one question (to be discussed during class) and (b) one proposition (that they are prepared to argue for).
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Requirements on student
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EXAMINATION ANCIENT:
The final grade (expressed numerically) will consist of two weighed parts:
- preparation and participation in discussions: 30%
- written essay at the end of the course: 70%.
Since participation is part of the final mark, a maximum of 2 absences is allowed. In case of absence, please inform the instructor in advance).
For their final essay students will be able to choose from three essay questions the one that suits them best. The questions will be directly related to the course readings and discussions. A mid-term essay will have to be submitted on November 20th (essay questions to be circulated during the term). These essays will be discussed the week after (Nov. 27th). This mid-term essay will not be part of the final grade, but is a good way to practice for writing the final essay.
EXAMINATION MODERN
Students will choose one of the texts discussed at the seminar for an oral examination. Students should be able to present the structure of the text as well as the logic of its arguments and be able to engage in a critical discussion.
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Content
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SYLLABUS ANCIENT
1. [25.09] Introduction (Bartels and Sklenář)
2. [2.10] Protagoras: early democratic theorist? Plato, Protagoras 320c-328d (the 'Protagoras-myth')
3. [9.10] The immoralists on justice: Plato, Republic 2, 357a-368e
4. [16.10] The degeneration of constitutions: Plato, Republic 8
5. [23.10] Platonic critique and reform of law: Plato, Statesman 291d-311c; Laws 4
6. [30.10] Thinking about monarchy: Cyrus, King of Persia: Xenophon, Cyropaedia 8; Laws 3, 693d-699e
7. [6.11] Man is a 'political animal': Aristotle, Politics 1
8. [13.11] Thinking about democracy: Aristotle, Politics 4, §§1-4; 6, §§1-5
9. [20.11] The ideal city; mid-term essay submission: Aristotle, Politics 7
10. [27.11] Hellenistic utopias: Euhemerus of Messene (Diodorus Siculus, Biblioteca historica 5, §§41-46; VI, 1)
11. [4.12] Libertas and freedom: Cicero, On the commonwealth 3
12. [11.12] Republican virtues: Cicero, On duties 1
13. [18.12] Francesco Patrizi of Siena, De regno: chapter by James Hankins
SYLLABUS MODERN
1. [28.9.] National holiday.
2. [5.10.] Introductory lesson.
3. [12.10.] Machiavelli - the relation of politics and morals.
4. [19.10.] Hobbes on the state of nature and political society.
5. [26.10.] Locke on the state of nature and political society.
6. [2.11.] Rousseau and the modern idea of freedom.
7. [9.11.] Hegel - State as the actuality of ethical Idea
8. [16.11.] A. de Tocqueville: Value of democracy and the tyranny of the majority
9. [23.11.] C. Schmitt - The concept of the political and the politics of exception
10. [30.11] Herbert Marcus and the politics of the Frankfurt school
11. [7.12.] R. Nozick and the libertarian utopia
12. [14.12.] J. Rawls - Justice and the idea of overlapping consensus
13. [21.12.] M. Sandel - Communitarianism and the crisis of liberalism
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Activities
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Fields of study
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Guarantors and lecturers
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Literature
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Prerequisites - other information about course preconditions |
Knowledge of English. |
Competences acquired |
- a familiarity with some of the main texts in the history of ancient political philosophy;
- a firm knowledge of key concepts and discourse from ancient political thought in their historical contexts (city (polis); regime (politeia); justice; democracy; monarchy; law (nomos); libertas; civic virtue);
- a firm knowledge of the sorts of concerns and issues discussed in ancient political philosophy;
- an awareness of the difference between understanding an author in his own terms (the historically informed reconstruction of what an author was doing in saying what he said), and a philosophical critique of the validity of argument and the methodological implications of this difference;
- the ability to reflect meaningfully on cross-textual and cross-historical comparisons between different texts and arguments, taking into account the specifics and particularities of the texts (genre, literary characteristics) and contexts concerned;
- the ability to develop a clearly structured and articulated argument and convey that in a lucidly written essay.
- active, constructive participation and preparation: the student demonstrates involvement in the topic by asking well-informed and pertinent questions that advance the discussion and collective progress.
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Teaching methods |
- Dialogic (discussion, interview, brainstorming)
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Assessment methods |
- Written examination
- Student performance assessment
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