Global Political Philosophy - JPM040

• Title: Global Political Philosophy
• Guaranteed by: Department of Political Science (23-KP)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2025
• Semester: winter
• E-Credits: 5
• Examination process: winter s.:
• Hours per week, examination: winter s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: unlimited / unlimited (35)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment; priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
• Guarantor: Janusz Salamon, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Janusz Salamon, Ph.D.
• Class: Courses for incoming students
• Incompatibility : JPM398

Teaching methods

AI completely prohibited
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the preparation of assignments, projects, or other outputs in this course is not permitted. The aim of the course is to develop independent skills, and working with AI would undermine this goal. Any use of AI will be considered a violation of the rules and may be classified as plagiarism.

Last update: Salamon Janusz, Ph.D. (29.09.2025)

Syllabus

GLOBAL POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY - JPM040

 

ETCS: 5 credits

Prerequisites: None

Taught in WINTER Semester

 

Lecturer: Dr Janusz Salamon

 

Time: TUESDAY, 8.00-9.20

PLACE: Jinonice, classroom C122

 

CONTACTS:

Email: janusz.salamon at fsv.cuni.cz

Office hours: Monday, 17.00-18.20 & Tuesday, 14:00-15:20 in office 514 (Floor 5) in Jinonice

 

COURSE CHARACTERISTICS:

The course is designed specifically for students of MA in International Politics and Economics with the aim to enable all students - both those who did their undergraduate studies in political science and those he did not - to explore the key problems of political philosophy in a global context. Thus while for the students who are newcomers to political theory all issues discussed in the course of the semester will be new, for those who have studied political philosophy the approach to the foundational questions of political philosophy will be different from what they already know. The global dimension of the course will consists in bringing to the picture of contemporary political philosophy - which is usually dominated entirely by contributions of Western political thinkers - complementary perspectives of East Asian (predominantly Chinese) and Islamic political traditions. It is hoped that this course will serve as a basis for a truly global and inter-cultural approach to the study of other areas of political science which IEPS students will pursue in the next semesters of their degree programme.

 

COURSE OUTLINE:

Class 1 Global Political Anthropology or How Diverse Views of Human Nature Influence Political Traditions

Class 2 Various Conceptions of Liberty and Variety of Liberalism

Class 3 Various Conceptions of Equality and Variety of Egalitarianism

Class 4 Justification of Political Obligation / Political Authority in the East and the West

Class 5 Communitarianism and Conservatism in the West

Class 6 MIDTERM TEST (11.11.2025)

Class 7 Russian Conservatism

Class 8 Political Philosophy of India's 'Hindutva' Movement

Class 9 Confucian Political Thought

Class 10 Confucian Political Tradition and Individual Rights

Class 11 Islamic Political Thought

Class 12 Islamic Political Tradition and Individual Rights

LITERATURE:

The class readings will be always available for download at the present course webpage in the SIS:

The lecture readings will be taken mainly from the following books (available at the library of the Faculty of Social Sciences in Jinonice):

Risse M., Global Political Philosophy, Palgrave, 2012.

Goodin, R. E., P. Pettit, T. Pogge (eds), A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, Blackwell, 2007.

Simon, R. L., Guide to Social and Political Philosophy, Blackwell, 2002.

Christiano, T., J. Christman (eds), Contemporary Debates in Political Philosophy, Blackwell, 2009.

Matravers, D., J. Pike, Debates in Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Anthology, Routledge, 2003.

Goodin, R. E., P. Pettit, Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Anthology, Blackwell, 1997.

Bird, C., An Introduction to Political Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Murray, A. R. M., Introduction to Political Philosophy, Routledge, 2010.

MIDTERM and FINAL WRITTEN EXAMS

At the Midterm Test you will have 85 minutes and at the Final Exam 180 minutes to your disposal. Students will be asked to "discuss" TWO (at the Midterm) or THREE (at the Final) topics related to the main problems explored in the class readings, showing both the familiarity with the material explored in the course of the semester and the ability to think critically about the relevant issues. Thus critical assessment of the theories and arguments (as opposed to mere memorisation) will be duly rewarded.

COURSE GRADING:

Midterm Test                                40%

Final Exam                                   60%

Total                                            100%

 

 

GRADING SCALE: 

• A = 91-100 % – excellent
• B = 81-90 % – very good
• C = 71-80 % – good
• D = 61-70 % – satisfactory
• E = 51-60 % – minimal pass
• F = 0-50 % – fail

Last update: Salamon Janusz, Ph.D. (04.11.2025)