Graduate Seminar on Republicanism (Spring, 2017)
Seminar on Political Philosophy (Graduate)
Instructor: Professor, Jun-Hyeok KWAK (郭峻赫)
Office Hours: Weds 1pm-3pm at 海滨红楼16栋205室 or by appointment
Email: jhkwak@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Aims and Objectives
This graduate seminar aims at examining one of the most currently important topics in the field of political theory: the Revival of Republicanism. Since neo-Republicanism was introduced by Philip Pettit in 1997, many of major original thinkers and theorists in various fields have joined the debates on the revival of republicanism. They have been interesting very much with the republican conception of liberty as non-domination in relation to the long debates between liberalism and communitarianism (civic republicanism). Now, there are many cross-fires on neo-Roman republicanism and its central arguments, which cover such a broad range from textual interpretation to socio-economic implication. Through this seminar, we will see about the cross-fires and seek any possible implementations, with questions of why we collectively are tempted by the revival of republicanism and how to actualize it.
This seminar begins with an overview of the debates over republicanism, including topics such as liberty as non-domination, constitutional provision, civility, and contestability. Then, we will juxtapose 'classical' republicanism with a wide scope of controversial issues in the field of sociopolitical theory.
No specific prior knowledge is required. Graduate students from all subfields and methodological backgrounds are encouraged to take this seminar regardless of their previous level of acquaintance with philosophy and political philosophy. All attendances including auditing students will be expected to attend class discussion and assigned for presentation.
Materials
In the first week, the required readings will be book-bounded or distributed through wechat. Unless otherwise indicated, other materials will be uploaded at the website of the department or will be distributed through wechat a week in advance.
Requirements
(1) Attendance and Class participation (10%): Class participation and attendance will weigh seriously in the construction of the final grade for this course. Students will be expected to attend each session and to have completed the week’s readings prior to class.
(2) Presentation (20%) and Mid-term Exam (20%): (a) One student will act as a discussion facilitator for each requirement. And other students who are not assigned will review required readings at every week (except Week 1). The facilitators and reviewers should hand in a five page double-space version of word format (a three page in the form of WORD) until Monday within a week of everyone’s presentation, and send their writings through the group wechat. (b) Mid-term Exam is an in-class exam with definition questions.
(3) Final Paper (50%): The final paper will be assigned at the end of the semester. For this paper, each student will conduct an independent research on one of the topics given. Term papers should no less than 20 pages long double-spaced. Students will be encouraged either to publish their term papers or to write their term papers in English. The title page, endnotes and bibliography should be on separate pages. Students will lose points if your papers are late. Papers can be submitted via email.
Week-By-Week Schedule
I. Introduction
Week 1: Introduction – Republicanism and Us.
Week 2: Negative Liberty & Positive Liberty
[Required Reading] Isiah Berlin, “Two Concepts of Liberty,” In Four Essays on Liberty (New York: Oxford University Press, 1969), 118-172.
Week 3: Liberty Ancient and Modern
[Required Reading] Philip Pettit, Just Freedom (New York: W.W.Norton, 2014), Prologue & Chapter 1, xi-xxviii & 1-27.
Week 4: Reformulation of Liberty
[Required Reading] Philip Pettit, Just Freedom (New York: W.W.Norton, 2014), Chapter 2 & Chapter 3, 28-73.
Week 5: Republican Liberty with Key Issues
[Required Reading] Philip Pettit, Just Freedom (New York: W.W.Norton, 2014), Chapter 4 & Chapter 6, 77-108 & 150--187.
II. Republicanism Revisited
Week 6: New Republicanism (1)
[Required Reading] Philip Pettit, Republicanism (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), Chapter 1 & 2
Week 7: New Republicanism (2)
[Required Reading] Philip Pettit, Republicanism (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), Chapter 3 & 4
Week 8: New Republicanism (3)
[Required Reading] Philip Pettit, Republicanism (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), Chapter 7 & 8
Week 9: Mid-term Exam
III. Paper Preparation
Week 11: Paper Topic Presentations
IV. Republicanism and its Contributions
Week 12: Republicanism & Political Theory
[Required Readings] (a) Cecile Laborde and John Maynor, “The Republican Contribution to Contemporary Political Theory, in Republicanism and Political Theory, edited by Cecile Laborde & John Maynor (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Co, 2008), 1-30; (b) Quentin Skinner, “Freedom as the Absence of Arbitrary Power,” in Republicanism and Political Theory,edited by Cecile Laborde & John Maynor (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Co, 2008), 83-101.
Week 13: Republicanism & Civic Responsibility
[Required Readings] (a) David Miller, “Republicanism, National Identity, and Europe,” in Republicanism and Political Theory, edited by Cecile Laborde & John Maynor (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Co, 2008), 133-158; (b) Richard Bellamy, “Republicanism, Democracy, and Constitutionalism,” in Republicanism and Political Theory, edited by Cecile Laborde & John Maynor (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Co, 2008), 159-189.
Week 14: Republicanism & Transnational Justice
[Required Readings] (a) James Bohman, “Nondomination and Transnational Democracy,” in Republicanism and Political Theory, edited by Cecile Laborde & John Maynor (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Co, 2008), 190-216; (b) Ryoa Chung, “The Cosmopolitan Scope of Republican Citizenship,” in Republicanism: History, Theory and Practice, edited by Daniel Weinstock & Christian Nadeau (London: Frank Cass, 2005), 117-133.
IV. Republicanism Cross-fired
Week 15: Conception of Non-domination
[Required Reading] Charles Larmore, “Liberal and Republican Conceptions of Freedom,” in Republicanism: History, Theory and Practice, edited by Daniel Weinstock & Christian Nadeau (London: Frank Cass, 2005), 83-103.
[Paper Presentation 1]
Week 16: Consequentialism
[Required Reading] Christian Nadeau, “Non-Domination as a Moral Ideal,” in Republicanism: History, Theory and Practice, edited by Daniel Weinstock & Christian Nadeau (London: Frank Cass, 2005), 104-116
[Paper Presentation 2]
Week 17: Punishment
[Required Reading] Jun-Hyeok Kwak, “Non-domination and ‘shame’ culture,” in Republicanism in Northeast Asia, edited by Jun-Hyeok Kwak & Leigh Jenco (London: Routledge, 2015), 39-53.
[Paper Presentation 3]
Week 18: Justice
[Required Readings] (a) Marie Garrau & Cecile Laborde, “Relational Equality, Non-Domination, and Vulnerability,” in Social Equality, On What It Means to Be Equals, edited by Carina Fourie, Fabian Schuppert, and Ivo Wallimann-Helmer (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015), 45-64; (b) Marilyn Friedman, “Pettit’s Civic Republicanism and Male Domination,” in Republicanism and Political Theory, edited by Cecile Laborde & John Maynor (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Co, 2008), 246-268.
Week 19: Term-Paper Submission
