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Last update: Mgr. Jakub Franěk, Ph.D. (06.02.2024)
Today, it is obvious that the liberal moment of the 1990s is definitely over. We can also say that the history, or, rather, the political, has returned – with vengeance. Liberal democracies in today’s world feel no longer triumphant and self-confident, but rather vulnerable as they face challenges both from within and from the outside. On the one hand, the liberal democratic order feels threatened by the surge of popularity of anti-liberal populism. On the other hand, liberal democracies are increasingly threatened by more and more openly hostile authoritarian regimes. Indeed, more and more scholars and politicians are arguing that the Cold War has returned. It must be admitted that in the light of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine this claim seems to ring true. At the same time, however, the new cold war rhetoric may justifiably seem as both historically misleading and threatening to the key values of the very regime it is aimed to protect, i.e. liberal democracy. It would be indeed hard to argue that freedom and democracy exactly flourished during Senator McCarthy’s era, or, for that matter, during the ‘first new cold war” – i.e. the early 2000s “war on terror”. In this political theory seminar, we will not focus primarily on the historical analogies between the Cold War and the present situation, but rather on the political function of the rhetorical figure of “cold war” in liberal politics and, more importantly, on the ambiguous relationship between liberalism and war, as well as liberalism and politics. To put it more generally, we shall explore some of the internal tensions or contradictions of liberalism to uncover the deep roots of the present crisis of liberal democracy. |
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Last update: Mgr. Jakub Franěk, Ph.D. (06.02.2024)
The primary aim of this course is to discuss the deep internal tensions of liberal or liberal democratic ideology through close reading of selected texts by C. Schmitt, G. Agamben, C. Mouffe as well as other recent scholars against the backdrop of the present crisis of liberal democracy. The participation in the seminar should also improve the students’ analytical and argumentative skills. |
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Last update: Mgr. Jakub Franěk, Ph.D. (06.02.2024)
Assignments All students are required to attend the classes and actively participate in the discussion. Each student will be required to write one short (1500 words long) paper related to one of the weekly topics. These papers will be due two days before the class meeting devoted to the given topic. The students must be prepared to present their argument in class and/or answer the questions of the instructor and other students. NB: The short papers will be shared with all participants of the seminar. Each student will also be required to write an approx. 5000 words long term paper.
Relative weight of individual assignments Participation: 15% Short paper: 35% Term paper: 55% COURSE GRADE: 100%
Grading scale The Faculty of Social Sciences uses the following A-F grading scale: A (excellent) = 91-100% B (very good) = 81-90% C (good) = 71-80% D (satisfactory) = 61-70% E (sufficient) = 51-60% F (fail) = 0-50 % |
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Last update: Mgr. Jakub Franěk, Ph.D. (06.02.2024)
Literature NB: All assigned texts will be available through the Moodle e-learning system. Additional texts may be assigned during the semester. All students must register into this course in the Moodle during the first week of classes. C. Schmitt: The Concept of the Political C. Schmitt: Political Theology C. Mouffe: On the Political H. Arendt: On the Human Condition M. Foucault: History of Sexuality, vol. I G. Agamben: Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life G. Agamben: State of Exception L. Strauss: Natural Right and History |
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Last update: Mgr. Jakub Franěk, Ph.D. (06.02.2024)
This course uses a combination of lectures and seminars. The students will be expected to have read the assigned reading before the class so that they can participate in the discussion. |
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Last update: Mgr. Jakub Franěk, Ph.D. (06.02.2024)
Course schedule NB: For a more detailed description of the class topic and assigned reading, please see the course page on Moodle.
Week 1: Introduction: Course overview. The crisis of liberal democracy and the new cold war. Weeks 2-4: C. Schmitt’s concept of the political; his critique of liberalism and parliamentary democracy Week 5: C. Mouffe’s critique of the 1990s liberal moment, her agonistic theory of democracy Weeks 6-7: The notion of biopolitics in the works of H. Arendt and M. Foucault Week 8-10: Biopolitics, sovereignty and the state of exception in the work of G. Agamben Weeks 11-12: Truth and politics, or on the political responsibility of intellectuals. (H. Arendt and L. Struass) |