Issues in contemporary social and political philosophy
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| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
Building on the philosophy postgraduate foundation course, this course explores issues with a significance that extends far beyond the boundaries of academic philosophy. You’ll look at distributive justice, liberalism versus communitarianism and the metaphysics of social explanation – and go on to examine citizenship, nationalism, punishment and democracy in the light of these themes. You’ll develop your ability to analyse philosophical texts; reflect on the process of philosophical research; and hone your skills in finding and using material. You’ll also be required to show greater independence of thought and the ability to put across a coherent case for a philosophical position.
Course content
This philosophy subject course in the MA in Humanities programme develops the skills introduced in the philosophy postgraduate foundation course. We have selected the area of contemporary social and political philosophy both for its intrinsic philosophical interest and for its relationship to issues outside academic philosophy. The course consists of a set of readings accompanied by commentary. The areas covered by the readings are:
- The philosophy of social explanation
- Distributive justice
- Liberalism and communitarianism
- Citizenship
- Nationalism
- Democracy
- Punishment
You will study the first three topics in detail, and then choose one (or more) of the other four in which to focus on in your final project. For your project you will be expected to discuss problems related to your selected topic, in the light of your study of the first three themes.
Like the foundation course, this course makes extensive use of information technology. Tutorials are online, and support is provided by online forums and the extensive online resources of The Open University library. You will have opportunities to discuss the course with your tutor and your fellow students via online forums. Extensive technical backup is available, so there should be no problems even for those whose experience of using computers is limited. You need only have access to a computer, not to own one.
Entry
To take this course, you must be registered for the MA in Humanities or for another qualification towards which it can count. Ideally you should also have taken one of the MA in Humanities postgraduate foundation courses (or you could take one at the same time as this course, though we would not normally recommend that). This would preferably be the postgraduate foundation course in philosophy. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
We recommend reading one or more of:
Will Kymlicka (2001) Contemporary Political Philosophy, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press
Stephen Mulhall, Adam Swift (2000) Liberals and Communitarians, 2nd edition, Blackwell
Robert Goodin, Philip Pettit (eds) (1997) Contemporary Political Philosophy, Blackwell
The MA website gives information about the topics in the course and suggests further readings.
Qualifications
A851 is a compulsory course in our
A851 is an optional course in our
If you leave the programme before obtaining a masters degree and have successfully completed an additional 60 points from specified courses, including at least 30 points from postgraduate foundation courses, you can qualify for a Postgraduate Diploma.
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Large print versions of the course materials can be provided on request. Other alternative formats of the course materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
This course makes extensive use of the internet and online forums, so you may need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer. If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books and other printed materials.
D. C. Matravers, J. E. Pike (eds) (2002) Debates in Contemporary Political Philosophy, Routledge.
Computing requirements
This course has online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Materials to buy
Set books
- Rawls, John A Theory of Justice (1999 Revised Edition), Harvard University Press £16.95 - ISBN 9780674000780
- Simon, R J (ed) The Blackwell Guide to Social and Political Philosophy, Blackwell £23.99 - ISBN 9780631221272
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. The course will be taught by means of electronic tuition and online forums. We may be able to offer opportunities to attend research day conferences in the subject area that you are encouraged, but not obliged to attend. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2010. We expect it to be available at the same time once a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
A postgraduate course in Arts and Humanities.
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Student Reviews
This felt like a very grown-up course, and was far more interesting than I would have imagined. I hope that ...
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Interesting module, even if social and political philosophy isn't a favourite, with less spoon-feeding than A850, but should be quite ...
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