Lehrende: Prof. Dr. Felmon Davis
Veranstaltungsart:
Seminar
Anzeige im Stundenplan:
AM 3: Fear, Truth...
Semesterwochenstunden:
2
Credits:
4,0
Unterrichtssprache:
Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl:
10 | 23
Anmeldegruppe: AG AM3 (HF, ab WiSe 14/15)
Weitere Informationen:
Verwendbar in folgenden Studiengängen bzw. Modulen:
- B.A.-Hauptfach Politikwissenschaft: Aufbaumodul 3 - Politische Theorien und Ideengeschichte oder Wahlbereich
- B.Sc. Volkswirtschaftslehre (FSB ab WiSe 2016/17), Ergänzungsfach Politische Theorien und Ideengeschichte: Aufbaumodul 3 - Politische Theorien und Ideengeschichte
- B.A.-Nebenfach Politikwissenschaft: Fachbezogener Wahlbereich
Das Seminar ist nicht für den Freien Wahlbereich anderer Studiengänge geöffnet.
Kommentare/ Inhalte:
"If we do not have the capacity to distinguish what’s true from what's false, then by definition the market-place of ideas doesn't work. And by definition our democracy doesn’t work. We are entering into an epistemological crisis." B. Obama 2020.
The claim in general that truth is important for democracy has plausibility but on reflection it turns out not being very easy to explain and substantiate.
Democracy is a normative order which prizes freedom of belief and speech. They serve the interests of cooperative truth-finding. These values in turn promote disagreement which arouses doubt and dissent. The idea is that democracy is a social order made fertile by the seeds of its own disruption.
Lernziel:
The course probes some perspectives about truth arising from this paradox. We will discuss the idea that religious believers should abstain from making truth claims in the public sphere which the public sphere cannot validate. We will examine the notion of validation in the public sphere modelled sometimes by the metaphor of a 'market-place of ideas' and its problems and successor incarnations. This leads to consideration of the effects of the internet on truth and the normative order of democracy. It will be useful to consider the implications of these approaches for the value of academic freedom.
The course will be taught by Emeritus Professor Felmon Davis, Union College, Schenectady, USA. Only the preparatory session (more below) will be joined by Prof. Peter Niesen.
Vorgehen:
The class is discussion-oriented with the expectation that participants will come prepared to (a) summarize important points in the reading and (b) formulate a substantial question, objection or analysis of difficult points in the readling, as well as pick up threads from prior class discussion.
Introductory lectures will be mainly in English and discussion in English and German.
Writing this in August 2021, we hope that we will be able to teach the course in a seminar room, not online.
There will be an online preparatory session at the beginning of the Winter semester on 10 November, 11-12 a.m., to assign the readings to be prepared for the course, and discuss any questions students may have. Attendance obligatory, Zoom link to be shared. The course itself will take place as an intensive course at the beginning of February, 2022.
Literatur:
The course will discuss readings by John Rawls, Nicholas Woltersdorff, John Stuart Mill, Hannah Arendt, Cass Sunstein, Stephen Holmes, dana boyd and other classical and contemporary political theorists. A detailed reading list will be distributed for the preparatory session at the beginning of the winter semester.
Zusätzliche Hinweise zu Prüfungen:
Leistungsanforderungen:
- B.A.-Hauptfach Politikwissenschaft, Aufbaumodul 3 - Politische Theorien und Ideengeschichte: Studienleistungen (siehe A); zusätzlich kann in dem Seminar eine Hausarbeit in zwei Teilen à 2000 Wörtern als Modulabschlussprüfung des AM 3 absolviert werden (siehe B); dafür ist eine zusätzliche Anmeldung in der Vorlesungszeit erforderlich (Modulbaustein: Modulprüfung Aufbaumodul 3…).
- B.A.-Hauptfach Politikwissenschaft, Wahlbereich: Studienleistungen (siehe A); Hausarbeit nicht möglich.
- B.Sc. Volkswirtschaftslehre: Studienleistungen (siehe A) und Hausarbeit (siehe B).
- B.A.-Nebenfach Politikwissenschaft, Fachbezogener Wahlbereich: Studienleistungen (siehe A); Hausarbeit nicht möglich.
A) Studienleistungen und Modulprüfung (unbenotet):
Since this is a discussion-intensive course, attendance will be mandatory. Participants will come prepared to (a) summarize important points in the reading and (b) formulate a substantial question, objection or analysis of difficult points in the readling, as well as pick up threads from prior class discussion. Participants will be asked to share their ideas in class.
B) Modulprüfung:
There will be two writing assignments of 2000 words (German or English as you choose) with possibility of rewriting the first assignment. The writing assignments, due the end of the first week and on 27 February 2022, will briefly present an important issue addressed in the reading, and consider it critically, that is, what aspect of the author's approach raises an important problem and whether the author has the means to address it and if not, what would be required to address it. Assignments to be sent to the course convenor, Prof. Davis, via e-mail
Ausgabeort der bewerteten Prüfungsleistung (gegen Empfangsbestätigung nach Eingabe der Noten in STiNE): Graded assignments will be returned with comments via e-mail.
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