Outline

Overview

Political theory helps us to better understand the ideas that have shaped our politics, including freedom, equality, power, and justice. This unit of study will introduce students to major ideas and primary texts from the Western tradition of political thought. Authors may include Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, Marx, Arendt, Foucault, and Rawls.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Government and International Relations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 1000 level from Philosophy, Government and International Relations, Politics, International Relations
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Alexandre Lefebvre, alex.lefebvre@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final essay Essay	50%	Formal exam period Due date: 16 Nov 2023 at 23:59	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Midterm essay Essay	40%	Week 07 Due date: 14 Sep 2023 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Weekly Questions Weekly questions, submitted online	10%	Weekly	n/a
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Weekly Questions: Each week students are expected to prepare two questions based on the relevant reading. Each question can be as long as a paragraph or as short as a sentence. The questions will be counted, not graded. But to count they must reflect a real engagement with the relevant reading. (E.g., to ask when reading Tocqueville, “Why does Tocqueville hate democracy so much?” is not a real engagement. A good question is: “Tocqueville seems to have a lot of reservations about democracy: it can lead to uniformity, mediocrity, even despotism. How does he think democracy can be saved, without just going back to feudalism?”.) These questions must be submitted in print in person at the start of lecture each week. Submission during the mid-lecture break will not be accepted. Please write your name and tutorial time (e.g., Wednesday 1-2pm). Emailed submission or submission in tutorial will not be accepted. Submission by someone other than yourself will not be accepted. Each set of questions will count as 1% toward your final grade, up to a maximum of 10%.

Midterm Essay: On August 24th, you will receive a 2000 word (maximum) midterm assignment. Essay questions will be posted on Canvas. The midterm assignment is due September 14th.

Final Essay: On October 26th, you will receive a 2500 word (maximum) final essay assignment. Essay questions will be posted on Canvas. The final essay is due November 16th.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to Political Theory	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Plato, The Republic, on Power and Justice. Reading: Book 1 (all), Book 2 (up to 367e)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Plato, The Republic, on Justice. Reading: Book 2 (from 368a-end), Book 3 (all), Book 4 (all)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Plato, The Republic, on Truth and Politics. Reading: Book 5 (all), Book 7 (all). Book 6 is optional reading.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Plato, The Republic, on the Imperfect Regimes. Reading: Book 8 (all), Book 9 (all), Book 10 (614b-621d)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Tocqueville, The Advent of Democracy, Reading: Democracy in America, pp 3-15, 27-65, 82-93.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Tocqueville, The Tyranny of the Majority, Reading: pp. 165-172, 235-258, 274-288, 298-302.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Tocqueville, The Three Races. Reading: Democracy in America, pp 302-348, 358-361.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Tocqueville, The Cultural Life of Democracy. Read Democracy in America: pp. 399-415, 417-424, 479-492, 500-517, 530-532.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Rawls, Justice as Fairness. There are two readings for this week. 1. Rawls, "The Four Roles of Political Philosophy" (short excerpt from Rawls's final book, Justice as Fairness: a Restatement). Posted on Canvas. 2. A Theory of Justice: Preface for the Revised Edition, Preface, Chapter 1. Justice as Fairness.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Rawls, Freedom and Equality. Reading: A Theory of Justice, Chapter 2. The Principles of Justice, Chapter 3. The Original Position.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Rawls, The Sense of Justice. Reading: A Theory of Justice, Chapter 8. The Sense of Justice.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Rawls, Why Be Just? Reading: A Theory of Justice, Chapter 9. The Good of Justice.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90 per cent of timetabled activities for a unit of study. This includes both lecture and tutorial.

You will need to attend lecture in order to submit weekly questions.

Please bring a hard or soft copy of the weekly reading to lecture and tutorial. This unit of study is based on close textual analysis and you'll be lost without having the reading at hand.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Plato, The Republic. Translated by Tom Griffith. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 2000. This edition is preferred, though translations by Reeve or Bloom are fine as well. Available for purchase through Amazon or else accessible online via the library.

Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America. Translated by Harvey C Mansfield and Delba Winthrop. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. THIS EDITION IS REQUIRED. Available for purchase through Amazon or else accessible online via the library.

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Revised Edition. Harvard: Harvard University Press, 1999. THIS EDITION IS REQUIRED (and make sure that you don't buy/read the original 1971 edition). Available for purchase through Amazon or else accessible online via the library.

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An aim of this class is to closely engage with a limited number of primary texts in order to dwell on key themes, and, more generally, to slow reading down. Students are not expected to read more widely than the required readings.

If, however, you wish to consult secondary scholarship on Plato, Tocqueville, and Rawls I recommend the following, all of which can be found either online or in the library.

Plato:

Nickolas Pappas, Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Plato and the Republic (Routledge, 1995).
Julia Annas, Plato: a Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2003).
Plato entry in the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy.

Tocqueville:

James Schleifer, The Chicago Companion to Tocqueville's Democracy in America (Chicago, 2022).
Olivier Zunz, The Man Who Understood Democracy: the Life of Alexis de Tocqueville (Princeton, 2022).

Rawls:

Samuel Freeman, Rawls (Routledge, 2007).
Plato entry in the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy.

If you'd like more reading suggestions, please email me.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. analyse core concepts in modern political theory, such as power, consent, sovereignty, rights, democracy, equality, justice, and pluralism
LO2. contrast the following major political theorists: Plato, Tocqueville, and Rawls
LO3. develop critical reading skills of primary texts.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Readings have been changed to include ancient political thought.

Additional information

This unit of study introduces students to three masterpieces of political thought, selected from the ancient, modern, and contemporary traditions. Through a close reading of these texts, we will extract and examine major topics from the history of Western political theory and show their relevance for today.

We begin with the first book of political philosophy ever written, Plato’s Republic (375 BCE). It has been said that philosophy after Plato amounts mostly to footnotes to his work and, while an exaggeration, there is a grain of truth to it. With the Republic, we will investigate questions that have never ceased to occupy philosophy, such as: Is it good to be just? What is the best (and worst) type of regime? And does politics have any connection to truth?

Next, we will spend four weeks with Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (1835/1840), arguably the greatest book ever written on either democracy or America. Tocqueville himself was an aristocrat and clearly saw both the pros and cons of the coming democratic age. With him we will explore ideas of freedom, equality, individualism, majority rule and tyranny of the majority, racism and genocide, and power.

Finally, we turn to John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice (1971), which is the most influential book of political philosophy of the twentieth century. With him we will look at ideas of justice, impartiality, fairness, merit, self-interest, moral education, shame, and love.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

GOVT2112: Introduction to Political Theory

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect