The aim of this module is to provide a critical examination of the central themes and thinkers of modern political thought. The module will introduce you to the main traditions and methodologies of political theory and to the debates and ideas that dominate all forms of modern political analysis. We will discuss core political concepts such as justice, gender, race, equality, and democracy, and address the central questions of moral and political philosophy: How should we act? How can we live together? Why do we need a state? In doing so, we shall think about the key issues of political debate, including the nature of freedom, the role of government, and the aims of human life.
In Teaching Block 1 we will look at the established canon of modern political theorists, including the work of Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche. In Teaching Block 2 we move beyond the canon to think about who and what it has marginalised and misrepresented. In particular, we will examine questions of gender and race, looking at how women and non-white people have been represented within and excluded by modern political thought.
This module is delivered through lectures and seminars. Lectures will introduce students to the relevant thinkers, arguments, and concepts, while seminars will allow students to explore these in greater depth, develop their critical and evaluative skills, and focus on assessments. Students will be asked to read and comment on primary texts from classic political thinkers and to discuss both the historical development of ideas and their contemporary relevance.
Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
---|---|---|
Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 two-hour lectures 7 one-hour seminars | 44 7 |
Guided independent study | Guided independent study (reading, research, essay preparation, etc.). | 249 |
Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 |
Summative assessment:
Each student will be asked to answer questions on different themes and thinkers, to ensure that they engage with a range of topics.
Formative assessments will be used to allow students to develop their critical, argumentative, and writing skills and allow module tutors to provide in-module feedback. Assessments to be determined by module leader but may include seminar worksheets, essay plans, and mock exams.
Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
---|---|
Identify and describe some of the key concepts, theories, arguments, and debates within political thought over the past 500 years | Essay and exam |
Understand the contemporary significance and relevance of debates within the history of political thought | Essay and exam |
Demonstrate familiarity with both the original writings of leading political philosophers and the debates surrounding these writings | Essay and exam |
Critically assess the arguments of others and develop and present their own arguments in writing | Essay and exam |
Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
---|---|---|
CWK | Essay | 40 |
EXWR | 2 Hours unseen Examination | 60 |
Total (to equal 100%) | 100% |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module
There is no core text.
Any versions of the texts below may be used:
Niccolò Machiavelli The Prince
Thomas Hobbes Leviathan
John Locke Two Treatises of Government
Jean-Jacques Rousseau The Social Contract
Immanuel Kant Political Writings
John Stuart Mill On Liberty
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels The Communist Manifesto
Friedrich Nietzsche Daybreak
Carole Pateman The Sexual Contract
Angela Davis Women, Race, and Class
Charles Mills The Racial Contract
Patricia Hill Collins Black Feminist Thought
Peter Singer Animal Liberation