Concepts in Political Theory AS2 GuidanceFormat:2500wordessaySubmit:via BLE EITHER A)Frame your own question.
The topic should engage with one of the theoretical issues from the course and link it to a contemporary political controversy.
You need to send your draft question to either Rochana, Alexej, or Sagnikfor approval and meet with them to discuss this.
For some general advice on how to devise your question see the next page of this document.ORB) ONEof the questions below
1)Does Rawls’ theory of justice perpetuate social hierarchy in the name of liberal equality?Discuss Rawls in relation to Iris Young AND/OR Charles Mills.
2) Is democracy about consensus or disagreement?Discuss with reference to any TWO of the following theorists: John Rawls, Elizabeth Anderson,Chantal Mouffe
3)Is the regulation of speech a matter for the state or for civil society?
4)Can the demands of secularism and multiculturalism be reconciled with one another? Discuss with reference to at least one theorist and one real world controversy.
5)To what extent do environmental concerns pose a major philosophicalchallenge for liberalism?
Guidance on designing your own questionThe taskis to take a contemporary issue and use it to engage with a theoretical debate. So you will need to think of both a case and a theoretical puzzle that you are interested in writing about. Some advice:
•When picking an issue, you might want to draw on regional expertise you have gained through other courses, your personal knowledge of particular political cultures, or simply issues that you have come across and found interesting.
•Our focus has been on contemporary political theory: your essay should be contemporary as well.
•Depending on your topic, chances are there will only be a limited number of (if any) sources that deal directly with both your case and your theoretical puzzle at the same time. This is fine, you will have to be able to bring together different relevant literatures to make your argument.
•Academic publishing is slow, if your case is very recent you may have to rely on journalistic sources. You will still need to delve into some weightier stuff on the theory side.
•Make sure you do not just describe the case, but actually use it as the hook for a theoretical argument. You need to email a provisional essay topic to us for approval. It is in your interest to do this sooner rather than later. Some sample essays from past years are now available on moodle.
