| CODE | PHI5107 | ||||||
| TITLE | Thinking the Political: Law, Sovereignty and Cosmopolitanism | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Philosophy | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Contemporary critiques have focused on a deconstruction of the force of law and the foundations of authority (Derrida) and on the possibility of law creating ‘states of exception’ (Agamben). Philosophers have addressed both the positive law of particular “bounded communities” (Benhabib) as well as international law, where the notion of sovereignty and its reconfiguration appear as a lynchpin tying law and politics, and a primary locus of critique. The general thrust in contemporary political thought may be framed within the context of global issues such as security, climate change and migration, but it also points towards fundamental considerations of ideas and practices concerning solidarity, freedom, equality, citizenship and democracy. Cosmopolitanism, understood in different ways and articulated in various directions, has thus emerged as a major concern in the works of contemporary philosophers. This study-unit will consider various critical approaches to law as a basis for exploring the concepts of sovereignty and cosmopolitanism. It will do so through an examination of the works of contemporary philosophers dealing with these themes. Study-unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to introduce students to specialised topics in contemporary political philosophical, namely law, sovereignty and cosmopolitanism, allowing them to engage with contemporary thinkers and their ideas. Learning Outcomes: 1. By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - compare and contrast contemporary philosophical approaches to the role of law in society and the international community; - explain aspects of the current reconfiguration of the concept of sovereignty in contemporary philosophy; - examine various theories of cosmopolitanism in contemporary political thought. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - assess critically salient features of contemporary political discourse; - analyse certain dynamics in contemporary politics through the lens of theories of law, sovereignty and cosmopolitanism; - produce a scholarly research paper on an aspect of contemporary political thought. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Selections from the works of Giorgio Agamben, Seyla Benhabib, Wendy Brown, Jacques Derrida, Martha Nussbaum, Will Kymlicka and other contemporary philosophers. Other articles from specialized journals will be indicated during the course of the lectures. General texts: - Wallace Brown, G., and Held, D. (eds), The Cosmopolitan Reader. Cambridge: Polity, 2010. - Kymlicka, W., Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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