PHIL 225 : Power, Critique and Emancipation

Arts

2020 Semester One (1203) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

An examination of support for political struggles for freedom, justice and recognition through the philosophical critique of modern society. Topics include science and technology, bureaucratisation, social control, social alienation, mass communication, the commodification of culture, and the idea of critique. Theorists may include Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse, Benjamin, Arendt, Habermas and Honneth.

Course Overview

A central theme of the course is the phenomenon of power. What is power? How does power emerge and how does it impact upon social relationships? What are power structures and why do they matter? Are relations of power always illegitimate? How should we understand concepts such as domination, subordination and oppression? Are such concepts relevant to a theory of justice? Finally, how can illegitimate power be resisted in order to achieve a more just society? What role should be played by democratic politics, activism and social critique?

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 15 points in Philosophy, and 30 points passed Restriction: PHIL 345

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of power concepts (Capability 1.1)
  2. Identify and describe structures of power at work in real life situations (Capability 1.2)
  3. Analyse philosophical approaches to power and evaluate their critical usefulness (Capability 2.3)
  4. Communicate insights into the workings of power in the contemporary world (Capability 4.1 and 4.2)
  5. Evaluate and critically respond to life experiences and social issues (Capability 6.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Coursework 50% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 50% Individual Examination

Next offered

2021

Module

This course is a part of the Critical Thinking module.

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/arts/study-with-us/study-options/modules/critical-thinking.html

Learning Resources

All course readings will be available as PDFs via Canvas. 

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 2 hours of reading and thinking about the content and the remaining hours each week will be allocated to work on assignments and exam preparation.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page (https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894), which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 03/12/2019 04:24 p.m.