Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Department of Sociology

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THOUGHT

SY 2010 – 2011 Syllabus

Course Description:

Philosophy is that specific sphere of human intellectual activity that grounds all other
exercises in thinking. It is the study of the first principles, of asking and trying to answer
humankind’s eternal questions. Throughout history, humans have tried to grapple with so many
questions about the purpose of life, the nature of the universe, the existence of God, the
foundations of our knowledge, etc., but none had more import than questions related to how we
should live, how we should live with others, and how it can be achieved. These are all at the
same time a social, moral, and political question.

Sociology started as social and political philosophy, from that historical period when
questions about the nature of state was not seen as separate from questions about the nature of
societal life. Theories on social contract, for example, by the likes of Hobbes, Locke, and
Rousseau, were considered as the starting point for any discussion on rights, duties, powers
which underpin succeeding problematizations of the relation between the state and society, up
until the time of Saint-Simon, Comte, Spencer, and Marx, some of the forerunners of
sociological thought. Many of these questions took new forms especially during the time when
traditional political regimes were weakened by a series of peculiar world historical changes we
now put under the rubric of modernity. This is where sociology proper departs from the
metaphysical language that was employed by the previous political and social philosophers. It is
most beneficial for any student of sociology to familiarize him/herself with the philosophical
background of the sociological theories and concepts that are the tools of his/her analysis. The
exchange between philosophy and sociology proves to be fruitful, and no one serious student of
either field would go a along way without from time to time reviewing the dramatic and critical
insights both have produced.

Main References:

Political Philosophy from Plato to Mao by Martin Cohen, Pluto Press 2001. (ebook)

The Great Political Theories Vols. 1 and 2 by Michael Curtis, Avon Book 1981 (Paperback)

Methods of Instruction:

Lecture, Group Report, Open Discussion, Quizzes

Target Schedule of Major Examinations:

Midterm Exam – Week 7; Final Exam – Week 12/13

Class Schedule

Topics Key Text

Week 1 Introduction to Philosophy,
June 16 & 19 History of Social and Political
Thought

Week 2 Plato, Aristotle and Classical The Republic; Politics

June 23 & 26 Greek Political Philosophy
Week 3 Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince
June 30 & July 3
Week 4 Thomas Hobbes Leviathan
Aug 4 & Aug 7
Week 5 John Locke Second Treatise of Civil
Aug 11 & Aug 14 Government
Week 6 Jean-Jacques Rousseau The Social Contract
Aug 18 & Aug 21
Week 7 Adam Smith The Wealth of Nations
Aug 25 & Aug 28
Week 8 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels The Communist Manifesto
Sept 1 & Sept 4
Week 9 John Stuart Mill Essays on Government and
Sept 8 & Sept 11 Utilitarianism
Week 10 Emile Durkheim and Max Weber Division of Labor in Society;
Sept 15 & Sept 18 Politics as a Vocation
Week 11 G.W.F. Hegel and Friedrich Philosophy of Right; Beyond
Sept 22 & Sept 25 Nietzsche Good and Evil; Will to Power
Week 12 Mao Tse Tung On Practice
Sept 29 & Oct 2
TBD

Grading System:

Midterm and Final Examination 40%

Reports and Recitation 25%

Quizzes 25%

Attendance 10%

Prepared by:

Engels C. Del Rosario

Instructor