PHIL 170.001 – Liberty, Rights, and Responsibilities: Introduction to Social Ethics and Political Thought

Instructor: DeeAnn Spicer. This course meets MWF 12:20 – 1:10 p.m. in PH 328.

In this course we will be examining some core issues in political philosophy by reading classic and contemporary texts. Some of the questions that could arise include questions of liberty, such as: What is freedom? What freedoms do we give up to our government and are they justified? Questions about rights, which include: What rights do we think we have? Where do rights come from? And questions about responsibilities: What do we owe to each other as citizens? As humans? What are our obligations in an unjust society or under unjust laws? One of the main purposes of this course is to see how philosophers have theorized about some of the main issues that come up from living in a society, and to see how those theories apply to our current-day situations.

Have registration questions? Our PPE Administrators can help! Please email them at ppeprogram@unc.edu for assistance.