DEPARTMENT
OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY
OF GHANA
POLI
442: SOCIAL &POLITICAL THEORY
2ND SEM 2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR
DR
RANSFORD GYAMPO
&
DR.
EVANS AGGREY-DARKOH
COURSE
OVERVIEW
Welcome to POLI 402, Social & Political Theory. The course is
designed to introduce you, to the nature, scope and role of Social and
Political Theory. The word Theory is derived from the Greek word theoria which means mental focus. Social
and Political theorizing therefore becomes whatever a person discovers as a
result of serious introspective mental focus and speculations. Social and
Political theory as a distinct
discipline emerged in the 20th century and was largely equated with an attitude
of critical thinking, based on rationality, logic and objectivity, as well as
the desire for knowledge through a-posteriori methods of discovery, rather than a-priori methods of tradition. The course
presents an attempt to provide a comprehensive taxonomy for explaining
socio-political issues. For example, there have been numerous coups and
military interventions in Africa. An attempt to study and observe these
phenomena in order to provide a coherent explanation falls within the realm of
theorizing. It is logically plausible for one to argue that social and
political theorizing is part of political philosophy as one cannot offer an
explanation of a phenomenon without first doing some serious thinking about
it. With this in mind, it is easy to
link social and political theory to deep seated philosophical discussions.
The course also deals with the expositions of classical thinkers that
must often be contextualized to help in understanding contemporary issues of social
and political discourse. We must notify you in advance that given the somewhat
abstract nature of this course, it tends to be a “scare-crow” to many
undergraduates. However, what such students fail to realize is that far from
being a thorn in their flesh, social and political theory is their friend. Indeed,
if you are interested in Political Science, as we suppose, and if you are
interested in pursuing further studies in Law, then you should love social and
political theory the more. This is because, political theory is “the father of Political Science.” Again
some of the critical issues that would be thought in Jurisprudence for law
students are delved into by this course. It is therefore important to study
this course as it assures you of a firm foundation and grounding for future
political and intellectual discourses. It helps you to appreciate “what is
political” or the domain of politics; approaches to the study of politics and
other critical theories of politics that helps you to better understand the key
issues that would preoccupy you, an upcoming Political Scientist. In our
discussions, we will draw examples from the global setting with emphasis on
Africa and Ghana. Do not worry too much about the seaming abstract nature of
the course. We will contextualize the issues and with examples that hinges on
contemporary happenings in our world today, we can assure you that we will
certainly demystify every mystery that surround the course.
At the end of the course, you should be able to:
·
Define politics from your own perspective;
·
Explain the realm and domain of politics
·
Explain the scientific methodology and approach to the study of politics
·
Identify and explain the basic tenets and features of normative
political theory, logical positivism/behavioralism, institutionalism etc
·
Define and explain the basic features of feminism, noting its relevance
in modern times
·
Distinguish between Constitutionalism and Rule of Law
·
Explain the nature of modern democracy etc, etc
COURSE
OUTLINE
Lecture
1 Nature & Scope of Politics
Lecture
2: The Science of Politics
Lecture
3: Normative Political Theory
Lecture
4: Logical Positivism
Lecture
5: Institutionalism
Lecture
6: Feminism
Lecture
7: Constitutionalism
Lecture
8: Rule of Law
Lecture
9: Utilitarianism
Lecture
10: Communitarianism
Lecture
11: Nature of Modern Democracy
Lecture
12: Nature of Modern Democracy
Week
13: Recap/Revision
SUGGESTED
READINGS
Sabine George, A History of Political Theory,
(New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1961).
Berlin, Isaiah, Political Ideas
in the Twentieth Century, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).
Barker, Ernest, Principles of
Social and Political Theory , (Oxford: Clarendon, Press, 1951).
Raphael, D.D., Problems of
Political Philosophy, (London: Pall Mall Press, 1970).
Mead, Margaret Sex and Temperament: In Three Primitive Societies (New York: Harper Collins
Publishers Inc, 2001).
Dunn, John (ed.), Democracy:
The Unfinished Journey, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992).
Pateman, Carole The Sexual Contract (NY: Polity
Press, 1988).
Paris, D. C. & James F. Reynolds, The Logic of Political Inquiry, (New York: Longman Inc.,
1983).
Landau, Martin, Political
Theory and Political Science, (New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1979).
Mill, J.S., Autobiography ,
(London, 1873).
Chodorow, Nancy
(1989). Feminism and Psychoanalytic Theory. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale
University Press)
Bernstein, Richard, The Reconstruction of Social and
Political Theory, (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1977).
Bryant, C.G.A., Positivism in Social Theory and Research,
(London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1985).
Heywood, Andrew, Political Theory: An Introduction, Second
Edition, (New York: Palgrave, 1999).
Gamble, A., An Introduction to
Modern Social and Political Thought, (London: Macmillan Education Ltd,
1981).
Gyampo, R.E.V., The State of
Political Institutions in Ghana (Saarbrucken: Lambert Academic
Publishing, 2013)
Iain, Mclean, Oxford Concise
Dictionary of Politics,(New York: Oxford University Press, 1996).
McClelland, J.S., A
History of Western Political Thought, (London: Routhledge, 2002).
Merriam, Charles, New Aspects
of Politics (Chicago: University of Chicago).
Bellamy, Richard and Angus Ross (eds.), A Textual Introduction to Social and Political Theory, (Manchester:
Manchester University Press, 1996).
MacKinnon,
Catharine. Feminism Unmodified:
Discourses on Life and Law (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
1987).
Koerner, Kirk. Liberalism and its Critics. (Oxford: Taylor
& Francis, 1985).
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