MCCCD Program Description

Political Philosophy

Course: PHI224

First Term: 2017 Spring

Lecture 3 Credit(s) 3 Period(s) 3 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S

Description: Predominant figures and theories in Euro-American political philosophy from Plato to contemporary social/political philosophers.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Identify and explain the challenges to the philosophical study of political systems. (I) 2. Describe the relationship between government and civil society. (I) 3. Trace the historical development of the predominant theories of government. (II) 4. Compare and contrast theories of government. (III) 5. Apply the theories to current tensions in civil society. (IV) 6. Critically evaluate the theories in light of their application to current and future issues. (V)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Historical Background and Challenges A. Beginnings of civil society 1. In ancient Greek culture 2. In Europe (1400`s-present) B. Rise of political systems 1. Oligarchy 2. Monarchy 3. Democracy II. Theories of Government A. Historical origins of theories of governments 1. Economic and cultural considerations 2. Historical materialism B. Arguments underlying classical theories of government 1. Natural Law theory 2. Contractarian theory 3. Classic Liberalism 4. Marxism III. Analysis of Theories of Government A. Justice vs. Social Utility B. Strengths and theories of government weaknesses of predominant IV. Applications to Current Societal Problems A. Proposed solutions to current problems B. Effectiveness of predominant theories of government V. Future Concerns of Political Philosophy A. Changes and improvement on predominant theories B. Civil society in the Third Millennium

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: 11/22/2016

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.