Autonomy, understood as self-governance and self-reliance, has been an important ethical and political ideal in the last two centuries. It has also been criticized as a source of self-destructive individualism and gender oppression. This course will look at how autonomy is understood by three political traditions: liberalism, socialism, and romanticism. We will ask how, according to these traditions, autonomous human beings should view their place in nature and society. Thinkers studied will include Immanuel Kant, John Rawls, Jack London, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Michael Kimmel. Assignments will consist of one short and one long essay. No prior experience of political theory is required.
The Junior Seminars are intense writing seminars which focus on the research area of the faculty member teaching the course. The seminars provide an opportunity for students to have direct intellectual interactions with faculty members while also giving the students an understanding for faculty research.
Junior seminars fulfill upper division requirements for the major.
Subfield: Political Theory
Political Science Majors of Junior and Senior status (must be 3rd or 4th year students with at least 60 units completed) with a minimum overall UC GPA of 3.3. Students must place themselves on the waitlist through TeleBEARS in Phase 1. Selection will occur around November 8, 2013. Continued enrollment in the seminar will be contingent upon maintaining your overall UC GPA at 3.3 (i.e., an overall UC GPA of a 3.2999 will not suffice). Priority may be given to students who have not yet taken a junior seminar. Priority may also be given to seniors who still need to complete their "Theory" distribution or specialization.
Students who are currently enrolled in Galisanka's 112C in Fall 2013 should not pursue this seminar due to the similarity in course content.