Conceptions of political order-theory and practice 1600-SZD-PŁP
The course offers a survey of various interpretations of selected aspects of political order seen from the perspective of epistemology and ethics. The main focus of the lecture is the problem of intellectual and moral legitimacy of political order. Among the discussed topics are:
- Contemporary controversies over interpretation of authority;
- Foundations of political order: institutions or virtues?
- Myths, symbols and rituals in politics;
- The persistence of political theology;
- Ethical and epistemological aspects of sovereignty and representation;
- Rationality, public discourse and mass culture;
- “Surveillance capitalism”, technology and the new frontier of power.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
- Student has knowledge about various interpretations of political order;
- Student has knowledge about the most important ideas involved in a discussion about the nature of political order;
Skills:
- Student compares critically different interpretations regarding such terms as authority, political myth, sovereignty, representation, political theology and political religion;
- Student explains the relationship between understanding of certain political concepts and their role in political discourse;
Social competence:
- Student is able to formulate competent opinions about values and epistemological concepts involved in political discussion.
Assessment criteria
Description of requirements related to participation in classes, including the permitted number of explained absences:
- Regular attendance (required). Two absences are allowed without consequences. In case of a greater number of absences, additional essays will be required.
- Participation in class discussion (recommended).
- Final essay in – class (required).
principles for passing the classes and the subject (including resit session);
- Regular attendance. Two absences are allowed without consequences. In case of a greater number of absences, additional essays will be required.
- Final essay in - class.
methods for the verification of learning outcomes:
- Final essay in - class.
evaluation criteria:
- Final essay (approximately 80 %)
- Participation in class discussions (approximately 20%)
Bibliography
S. Filipowicz, Democracy – The Power of Illusion, Peter Lang, London 2013.
F. Furedi, Authority: A Sociological History, Cambridge University Press 2013.
R. Girard, Violence and the Sacred, Bloomsbury, London 2013.
M. Lilla, The Still Born God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West, Alfred A. Kopf, New York 2007.
S. Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, Profile Books 2019.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: