Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

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Aims

This module introduces students to the European tradition of political philosophy from classical antiquity to the modern age. Students will engage with the major works of central thinkers in European political thought and philosophy, examining, comparing and critiquing their theories of government and articulations of fundamental political concepts such as state, sovereignty, liberty, justice, rights, obligation, violence and human nature. By reading a range of canonical texts in Western political philosophy, students will gain an in depth understanding of the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of modern political ideas and practice; students will also be introduced to certain critical responses to the “canon”, enabling them to question its formation through engagement with alternative and / or marginal views.

Outline Of Syllabus

Key texts and thinkers covered may include, but are not limited to:

Machiavelli’s The Prince
Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan and De Cive
Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Social Contract and Second Discourse
Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Women
Carole Pateman’s The Sexual Contract
Charles Mills’ The Racial Contract
Dominic Wellburn’s Canon Controversies in Political Thought

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On completing this module students will:

-       Know the key texts and concepts which form the canon of Western Political Philosophy
-       Be able to recognise and critically evaluate different treatments of political ideas such as freedom, justice, sovereignty, obligation, revolution and social contract.
-       Recognise the continued relevance of these thinkers’ works to contemporary political issues and concerns.
-       Appreciate how a ‘canon’ of thought is formed, and (where appropriate) be able to question that formation through engagement with alternative views.

Intended Skill Outcomes

On completing this module students will:

-       Be able to practise a variety of analytical approaches to reading historical texts: conceptual, contextual, comparative and critical;
-       Be able to understand and evaluate different views and reach balanced judgments of their own;
-       Be able to to search and retrieve sources, and reflect on ethical aspects of research;
-       Be able to produce extended pieces of written assessment (c. 2000 words), based on independent research.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures will provide essential subject-specific knowledge on a range of seminal thinkers and ideas. Seminars permit discussion of the relative merits of these thinkers and ideas and guide independent analysis, interpretation, and critique.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Students will be assessed by a 2000-word essay and will be able to choose from a range of essay questions. The essay tests the ability to think analytically, creatively, self-critically and independently as well as managing one’s own work to set time limits. This assessment method also gauges the students’ ability to move between generalisation and appropriately detailed discussion, to cite relevant texts and interpret them adequately, to discover examples in support of or to challenge a position, and to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant considerations.

General Notes

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