Political Theory                                                                        January 2003

Major  Field Examination

Part I

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer one question from each of the following three groups.  Please identify clearly each question answered, and avoid repetition between answers.

Write out and sign (by number) the pledge on the first page of your answer sheets. 

Please attempt to write legibly, if you do not type.  Use blue or black ink, and please skip lines.

 

 

I

 

1. While  Plato and Aristotle are sharply contrasted by many scholars, a strong case can be made that Aristotle is actually a Platonist.  Discuss.

 

2. It has been said that the essential core of liberal political theory is found in the political theories of the medieval period.  To what extent is this contention true?  Discuss.

 

 

II

 

3. Women constitute a permanent embarrassment and problem for liberal political theory. Discuss with reference to at least three theorists.

 

4. Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau are often grouped together as "social contract theorists" but Locke speaks of protecting the rights of individuals whereas Hobbes and Rousseau describe a system whereby individuals give up all or virtually all of their rights to a sovereign.  Beyond the phrase 'social contract' do these theorists share a substantive common perspective or is it a mistake to group them together?

 

 

III

 

5. Does democracy need philosophical foundations? Discuss with reference to at least two contemporary theorists.

 

6.  Foucault and Rawls are both critics of modern liberal capitalism. But Rawls wants the state to play a stronger role in individual lives while Foucault believes that individuals are dominated by modern state institutions.  Assess the merits of their different approaches to solving the problems of modern capitalist society.