2013NormativeComprehensiveExam

Welcometothe2012normativecomprehensiveexam! Thisdocumentcontainsguidelinesforpreparationandthelistofreadings for which youwillberesponsibleforwhenyouwritetheexam.

Ifyouhaveanygeneralquestionsabouttheexam,pleasefeelfreetocontactDr.Levine()orDr.Crocker().

GuidanceonPreparingfortheNormativeComprehensiveExam

ThinkingAbouttheExam

Thenormativecomprehensiveexamisintendedtoassessyourabilityto(a)carefullyconsider,articulate,andevaluatethemoralandethicalissuesinvolvedwithpolicydecisions;and,(b)understandandapplysomeofthemajorapproachestomoralandpoliticaltheory. AswithanyotherskilltaughtatMSPP – whethereconomicsorpoliticalanalysis – youshouldthinkofmoral/normativetheoryasatoolformakinggoodpolicydecisions,andthematerialweareaskingyoutomasterinpreparationforthisexamisdesignedtohelpyouusethattoolwisely.

Asyoulookatthereadingfortheexam,keepinminditsapplicationtopolicyissues. Askyourself:Whatpolicyapproachesareassociatedwiththiskindofthinking? Whatpracticalissuesareatstake – whatimplicationsformyownpolicypositionswouldacceptingthiswriter'spositionhave? Howmightthiswriterbewrong?Whymightpeopledisagreewithhimorher? Whatassumptionsabouttheworld,humannature,orthepoliticalcommunityisthiswritermaking,andaretheycorrect? Howfar would Ineedtore-thinkthe “conventionalwisdom” ofpolicyifIweretoaccepttheseideas? Whatwouldbethecost? Howdotheseideasmatter? Questionssuchasthesewillhelpguideyourthinkingandprepareforthekindofquestionswewillaskyouontheexam.

PlanningYourReading

Thereadinglistbelowdividedintothreesections- “overviews,” “coreideas” and “selectedspecialtopics.”

Overviews. Thesebooksaregeneralintroductionstothesubject-matterofmoralandpoliticalphilosophy. Theyareintendedespeciallyforthoseofyouwhomaynothavestudiedethicsorpoliticaltheorybefore,tohelporientyouandgiveyousomegeneralstructureforyourreading. However,theyare(wehope)alsousefultostudentswithsomebackground,astheyoftenprovidesubstantivediscussionofintellectualtraditionsthatotherreadings,beinglargelyprimarysources,donot. Theexamwillnotaskanyquestionsdirectlyaboutthesebooks,buttheyarelikelytoilluminateissuesthatwillbediscussedontheexam.

CoreIdeas. Thesebookscoverarangeofimportantideasinmoralandpoliticalphilosophy,suchasthenatureofjustice,theproperroleofthestate,thelegitimacyofviolenceandcoercion,thenormativeunderpinningsofcost-benefit-analysis,thejustificationofdemocracy,andwhat(ifanything)weowetothoselessfortunate. Fortheexam,wehavefavoredasmallernumberofworksbutaskedyoutoreadsignificantportionsofthem(orthewholething,inmanycases). Noneoftheseauthorsarethe “finalword” onthetopicsdiscussed,butallrepresentinfluentialcontributionstothediscussionabouthowweoughttoorganizeourpolicies.

Youwillberesponsibleforbeingatleastpassinglyfamiliarwithallofthereadingsonthecorelist. Butthisdoesnotmeanthatyoumustmemorizethemall. Anyofthereadingsonthe“coreideas” listare “fairgame” fortheexam – wemayaskyoutoexplainthebasicsofthetheory,orcompare/contrasttwoofthem,butwewillgenerallygiveyouachoiceorreadingstodiscuss. Thebeststrategyistodotwothings. First,picktwoorthreereadings on which tobecomean “expert” – readthem,learnthem,andunderstandtheirstrengthsandweaknesses. Ideally,theseshouldincludereadingsthatdisagreewitheachotheronsignificantissues(forthosecompare/contrastquestions) – forexample,ifyouarereadinguponRawls'JusticeasFairnessyoumayalsowanttoconsiderNozick'slibertariancritique. Second,meetwithyourfellowexam-takersandsharetheload – ifyoueachbecomeanexpertontwoorthreereadingsandtakethetimetohelpyourcolleagueslearnthebasicsoftherest,youshoulddofine.

SelectedSpecialTopics. Thesereadingsdealprimarilywiththeapplicationofnormativeideastoparticularareasofpolicy,suchaswarfareortheenvironment. Somealsorepresentapproachestopoliticalphilosophythatareoutsidethe “mainstream” ofcontemporaryAnglo-Americanpoliticalthought,suchasanarchism,feminism,orsocialism. Thelistisarepresentativesamplingoftheliterature,butnotatallexhaustive. Usethesereadingstotwoends. First,manyofthemmodelhowtoapplygeneral, “bigpicture” normativeideastospecificissues – howdoesachoicebetweenaRawlsianconceptofjusticeandautilitarianoneaffecthealthpolicydecisions? Whatdotheseideassayabouthowweoughttoregulatethemarketandcorporations? Whetheryouareinterestedinaparticulartopicareaornot,thiscanserveasausefulguideforhowtoapplytheorytoissuesofyourownconcern. Second,theexamwillaskyoutodiscusssomesubstantiveareasofpolicy,and – whileyouarenotrequiredtodoso – youcancertainlymakeuseofsomeofthereadingshere. Asastrategy,yourbestapproachistolearntwoorthreespecialtopicswell,andperhapstalkaboutafewotherswithyourcolleagues – butyouwillnotbeexpectedtobeabletodiscussanyspecific readingfromthislist. Ifyouhaveaspecialinterestinanareaofpolicyorapoliticaltraditionthatisnotrepresented,pleasediscussitwithoneofthefacultyworkingontheexamandwewilltrytofindsomethingappropriate.

Ingeneral,westronglysuggestthatyoudotwothings. First,gettogetherasareadinggroup(s)todiscussthereadingsasyoupreparefortheexam. Thiswillbothletyoudistributetheworkofreadingandhelpyouunderstandanythingthatmaynotbeclearonthefirstread. Second,calluponthefacultyoverseeingtheexamforassistance. Whilethereisnocoursedirectlypreparingyouforthisexam(thoughthoseofyouwhohavetakenMoralDimensionsofPublicPolicyortheCP4Proseminarshouldseefamiliarreadingsandtopics),wearehappytomeetwithindividualstudentsorreadinggroupstoclarifyanddiscusstheissues.

StructureoftheExam

Theactualexamwillbedividedintotwoparts.

Part1willaskyoutodiscusssomegeneralissues,drawingprimarilyonthe “coreideas” readings. Therewillbetwoquestionsinpart1,andyouwillanswerboth. Typicalquestionswillaskyoutoexplainatheoryanditsimplications,and/orcontrasttwotheoriesandexplainwhichoneyouthinkissuperior(andwhy). Eachquestionwillusuallyspecifyonetheorytobediscussed,butgiveyouachoiceoftheoriesforcontrastcases(whichmaybedrawnfromthe “coreideas” listorfromoneofthemoretheoreticalreadings – e.g.,feminismorcommunitarianism – inthe “specialtopics” list).

Part2willhaveonlyonequestion. Youwillbeaskedtoapplyyourtotalunderstandingofnormativetheorytoapracticalpolicyissue. Thiswilldrawonbothyournormativeunderstandingandyourpractical,empirical,andpoliticalunderstandingoftheissue – hence,youshouldbepreparedtowriteonaconcretetopiconwhichyouhavesomeexpertise. Youwillbeexpectedtoorganizeyourownnormativediscussion,includingwhatevertheoriesyoufindmostilluminating,helpful,andmisguided – soplanyourreading,especiallyyourselectionofspecialtopicsreadings,withapplicationtosomeissueinmind.

WheretoGoforHelp

Thisyear,therearethreefacultymemberswithprimaryresponsibilityforthecontentofthecomprehensiveexam. Ifyouhavequestionsorwantsomeonetocomespeaktoyourgroup,pleaseaskoneofus – ourgeneralareasofexpertisearelisted. Ifyouarenotsurewhotoask,pleaseaskDr.Levine.

DanielH.Levine

Anarchism,Aristotle,careethics,consequentialism/utilitarianism,feminism,law/internationallaw, Marxism,republicanism,socialism,virtuetheory,warandviolence

3111EVanMunchingHall

301-405-4755/202-641-8209(mobile)

DavidCrocker

Development,democracy,environment,globalization,markets,poverty,humanrights,Rawls(andliberalism),Nozick,Senandthecapabilitiesapproach

3111GVanMunchingHall

301-405-5763/240-678-6267(mobile)

RobertSprinkle

Environment,health,liberalism

301-405-0184

ReadingList

Overviews

  • WillKymlicka,ContemporaryPoliticalPhilosophy:AnIntroduction(2ndEd.,2001)
  • JamesRachels,TheElementsofMoralPhilosophy,WithaDictionaryofPhilosophicalTerms

CoreIdeasofMoralandPoliticalPhilosophy

  • Aristotle,Politics,BksI-III
  • MarciaBaron,PhilipPettit,andMichaelSlote,ThreeMethodsofEthics
  • RobertA.Dahl,OnDemocracy
  • ThomasHobbes,Leviathan,chs.13-31
  • InternationalCommissiononInterventionandStateSovereignty,TheResponsibilitytoProtect
  • JohnLocke,TheSecondTreatiseonGovernment,chs.1-5,7,9
  • Lochnerv.PeopleoftheStateofNewYork(1905)
  • Karl Marx, The Civil War in France; Critique of the Gotha Programme
  • J.S.Mill,OnLiberty
  • RobertNozick,Anarchy,State,andUtopia,chs.1-8
  • JohnRawls,JusticeasFairness:ARestatement
  • RosemaryTong,EthicsinPolicyAnalysis
  • WorldBank,WorldDevelopmentReport2006,chs.1,4-6

SelectedSpecialTopics

  • Anarchism:ColinWard,AnarchyinAction
  • Contractarianism:DavidGauthier,MoralsbyAgreement
  • Communitarianism:MichaelSandel,PublicPhilosophy
  • Communism/Socialism:Michael Newman, Socialism: A Very Short Introduction;JonElster,MakingSenseofMarx
  • Crime: John Kleinig, The Ethics of Policing; Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish; Jonathan Simon, Governing Through Crime
  • Development:AmartyaSen,DevelopmentasFreedom;DavidCrocker,EthicsofGlobalDevelopment; Peter Uvin, Human Rights and Development
  • Education:NelNoddings,PhilosophyofEducation;AmyGutmann,DemocraticEducation
  • EnvironmentalEthics:AndrewLightandHolmesRolston(eds.),EnvironmentalEthics:AnAnthology; Herman Daly and Kenneth N. Townsend (eds.), Valuing the Earth
  • EthicofCare:DanielEngster,TheHeartofJustice;VirginiaHeld,TheEthicsofCare;FionaRobinson,The Ethics of Care: A Feminist Approach to Human Security
  • Feminism:CatherineMacKinnon,AreWomenHuman?;RosemaryTong,FeministThought:AMoreComprehensiveIntroduction(3rdEd.,2009)
  • GlobalizationandGlobalJustice:KwameAnthonyAppiah,Cosmopolitanism;PeterSinger,OneWorld:TheEthicsofGlobalization;ThomasPoggeandDarrellMoellendorf,ed.GlobalJustice:SeminalEssays
  • HealthPolicy: Sudhir Anand, Fabienne Peter, and Amartya Sen (eds.), Public Health, Ethics, and Equity
  • HumanRights: JamesNickel,MakingSenseofHumanRights,rev.ed;DanielBell,BeyondLiberalDemocracy:PoliticalThinkingforanEastAsianContext,chs.1,3-4.
  • Leadership:JosephNye,ThePowerstoLead; Nannerl O. Keohane, Thinking About Leadership; Michael Walzer, “Political Action: the Problem of Dirty Hands,” Philosophy and Public Affairs 2 (1973).
  • Markets:ElizabethAnderson,ValueinEthicsandEconomics;MiltonFriedman,CapitalismandFreedom
  • Post-ColonialTheory:FrantzFanon,TheWretchedoftheEarth;EdwardSaid,Orientalism; Paulin Hountondji, African Philosophy: Myth and Reality.
  • SocialChoiceTheory:WilliamH.Riker,LiberalismAgainstPopulism;AmartyaSen,TheIdeaofJustice
  • War:C.A.J.Coady,MoralityandPoliticalViolence;MichaelWalzer,JustandUnjustWars(4thEd.,2006); Judith Butler, Precarious Life.

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