Syllabus

PHI103 Daniel Viehoff

PHI103: Self and Society

Autumn Term 2013-14
Instructor

Dr Daniel Viehoff (d.viehoff@shef.ac.uk)
Office Hours: Mon 4-5, Fri 12-1

Course Description

This course introduces students to central questions in political and social philosophy:
Do we need a state, and if so, must we obey its laws? What is freedom, and when are we
free? Is equality a moral value, and if so, what are its implications for how governments
ought to act? Should states be organized democratically? The course encourages
students to think carefully and clearly about the relationship they have, qua citizen, to
each other and the state, and to develop their analytical and critical skills in the process.
Readings will include influential historical and contemporary discussions of the state,
freedom, justice, and democracy.

Timetable

There will be two lectures a week at the following times:
Monday, 5 to 5.50 (Location: DB-LT6)
Thursday, 5 to 5.50 (Location AT-LT4)

In addition, each student must join a tutorial group and attend the groups meetings
with the tutor. Tutorial groups meet in Weeks 3 to 11 (except in Week 7, which is
Reading Week and neither lectures nor tutorials will take place). Students must sign up
for tutorials via MOLE. Sign-up begins at 10am on Monday of Week 2.

Assessment

One coursework essay, 1,000-1,500 words long and due at 4pm on Tuesday of Week
11, and a one-hour examination (during the exam period). These both contribute 50%
to the students mark.

Students must also submit micro-essays for their tutorial meetings (in Weeks 4, 5, 6, 8,
9, and 10). These essays are not marked, and cannot improve the overall grade; but
students lose 5% of their overall mark for each missing or late micro-essay (up to
a maximum of 30%).

For further information about dates for essay submission and tutorial meetings, as well
as about the micro-essays and how to avoid being penalized for failing to submit them
on time, see the Philosophy Departments booklet for first-year students, which can be
found at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.307689!/file/1stYrBooklet13-
14.pdf



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Syllabus PHI103 Daniel Viehoff

Readings

The readings for this course will be available in the library, either as a physical copy or
as an electronic resource. (For the latter, check the myResource link on MUSE; there is
also a link to the resources page on the MOLE site for the course.)

Below is a schedule of the lectures and the readings assigned for each. You will find that
following the lecture is significantly easier if you have already read the relevant texts.
You will, in any case, have to read them carefully in preparation for your tutorials,
essays, and exam.

All the historical texts (Hobbess Leviathan, Lockes Second Treatise, Rousseaus Social
Contract, Mills On Liberty) are available in inexpensive paperback editions or online; I
have listed some links below. Though you are not required to, you might consider
purchasing Miller (ed.), The Liberty Reader, which collects much of the reading assigned
for L2 to L9. (Some copies of the Miller book, and of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Mill,
have been ordered at Blackwells Bookstore.)

Hobbes: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-
contents.html
Locke: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/locke/locke2/2nd-contents.html
Rousseau: http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon.htm
Mill: http://www.constitution.org/jsm/liberty.htm

You might find it useful to look at Jim Pryors essay on how to write a philosophy essay,
an abbreviated version of which is available on the MOLE site for this course. (The full
text can be found at: http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html.)

Syllabus PHI103 Daniel Viehoff

Week-by-Week Outline

What is Political Philosophy?
L1 (30/09): David Miller, Political Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2003)
Ch. 1.
-The excerpts from Jim Pryors Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper that are
posted on the MOLE site for this course.










Freedom I: What is Freedom?
L2 (03/10): Isaiah Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty in Miller (ed.), The Liberty Reader
(Edinburgh 2006), pp.33-57.

L3 (07/10): Gerald C. MacCallum, Positive and Negative Freedom, The Philosophical
Review 76 (1967), pp.312-34. (Available on JSTOR.)

L4 (10/10): No Lecture. Review your lecture notes, and read ahead to L5 and L6.

L5 (14/10): Charles Taylor, Whats Wrong with Negative Liberty? in Ryan (ed.), The
Idea of Freedom (Oxford 1979), pp.175-93.

L6 (17/10): Philip Pettit, Republican Political Theory, in Vincent (ed.), Political Theory:
Tradition, Diversity, and Ideology (Cambridge 1997), pp.112-132.

Freedom II: What Limits Freedom?
L7 (21/10): Friedrich Hayek, Freedom and Coercion, in Miller (ed.), Liberty (Oxford
1991), pp.80-99.

L8 (24/10): Jeremy Waldron, Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom, in Waldron,
Liberal Rights, pp.309-338.

L9 (28/10): David Miller, Constraints on Freedom, Ethics 94 (1983-4), pp.66-86.
(Available on JSTOR.)

The State I: Hobbes
L10 (31/10): Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Chs. 13,14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 29.
(Available at: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-
contents.html)
-Listen to the Cambridge political theorist Quentin Skinner discussing Hobbes
online at
http://nigelwarburton.typepad.com/philosophy_bites/2007/10/quentin-
skinner.html

L11 (04/11): More Hobbes no new reading

L12 (07/11): More Hobbes no new reading

(Week 7: Reading/Writing Week)

The State II: Locke
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Syllabus PHI103 Daniel Viehoff

L13 (18/11): John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, Secs. 1-24, 77, 85-91, 95-99,
119-149, 175-181, 190-212, 221-229, 240-243
(Available at: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/locke/locke2/2nd-
contents.html)

L14 (21/11): More Locke no new reading

L15 (25/11): A. John Simmons, The Argument from Tacit Consent, Ch.IV in his Moral
Principles and Political Obligations (Princeton 1979), pp.75-100.

State and Society I: Rousseau
L16 (28/11): Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Of the Social Contract, Bk.I, Chs.1-9; Bk. II, Chs.1-7,
11-12, Bk.III, Chs.1-7, 15-18, Book IV, Chs.1-2, 9.
(Available at: http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon.htm)

L17 (02/12): No Lecture. Review your lecture notes and read ahead to L20 and L21.

L18 (05/12): More Rousseau no new reading

L19 (09/12): More Rousseau no new reading.

State and Society II: J.S. Mill
L20 (12/12): John-Stuart Mill, On Liberty, Chs.1-2.
(Available at: http://www.constitution.org/jsm/liberty.htm)

L21 (16/12): John-Stuart Mill, On Liberty, Chs.3-5

L22 (19/12): More Mill no new reading

Syllabus PHI103 Daniel Viehoff

Plagiarism and Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty

The following four examples of unfair means are serious academic offences and may
result in penalties that could have a lasting effect on a students career, both at
University and beyond (including possible expulsion from the University).
Plagiarism (either intentional or unintentional) is the stealing of ideas or work of
another person (including experts and fellow or former students) and is considered
dishonest and unprofessional. Plagiarism may take the form of cutting and pasting,
taking or closely paraphrasing ideas, passages, sections, sentences, paragraphs,
drawings, graphs and other graphical material from books, articles, internet sites or any
other source and submitting them for assessment without appropriate
acknowledgement.
Submitting bought or commissioned work (for example from internet sites, essay
banks or mills) is an extremely serious form of plagiarism. This may take the form of
buying or commissioning either the whole assignment or part of it and implies a clear
intention to deceive the examiners. The University also takes an extremely serious view
of any student who sells, offers to sell or passes on their own assignments to other
students.

Double submission (or self plagiarism) is resubmitting previously submitted work
on one or more occasions (without proper acknowledgement). This may take the form
of copying either the whole assignment or part of it. Normally credit will already have
been given for this work.

Collusion is where two or more people work together to produce a piece of work, all or
part of which is then submitted by each of them as their own individual work. This
includes passing on work in any format to another student. Collusion does not occur
where students involved in group work are encouraged to work together to produce a
single piece of work as part of the assessment process.

For the University guidelines, see www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/plagiarism.html.
Although collusion is not permitted, you are encouraged to discuss your work with
others on the course. Developing your ideas in conversation with others is a highly
valuable part of philosophical work. What matters is that the work you submit for
assessment clearly indicates where any ideas or material are not your own. If in doubt
about whether what you propose to do is appropriate, consult your supervisor.

In any essay submitted for assessment, all passages taken from other peoples work,
either word for word, or with small changes, must be placed within quotation marks,
with specific reference to author, title and page. No excuse can be accepted for any
failure to do so, nor will inclusion of the source in a bibliography be considered an
adequate acknowledgement. Note that verbatim or near-verbatim reproduction of
material from lecture handouts or lecture notes/transcripts is also unacceptable.

If the marker decides that plagiarism has occurred, the student may be judged to have
failed either the module or the degree (depending on the degree of severity). The
plagiarism will also be recorded on the students permanent record.
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Syllabus PHI103 Daniel Viehoff

The library offers a Guide to Plagiarism tutorial, available here:
http://www.librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/shef-
only/research/plagiarism_rsch.html