8/8/2019 SPT Syllabus

1/2

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 otherexercises in thinking. It is the study of the first principles, of asking and trying to answer

humankinds 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 weshould 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 whenquestions 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, andRousseau, 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 ofsociological 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 ismost 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. Theexchange between philosophy and sociology proves to be fruitful, and no one serious student ofeither 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

8/8/2019 SPT Syllabus

2/2