Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

A continuation and examination of the issues introduced in Year 1 Political Philosophy and Political Theory (Year 2 &3). The module evaluates the main aspects of the Marxist account of the collapse of capitalism and asks how applicable the model is to our current situation.

The aims of this module are to take further the study of some principal texts in modern political thought by looking closely at the main social and political writings of Marx, Hegel, Foucault and Lyotard and to develop a critical awareness of the complexities and problems of modernity. The thinkers looked at will vary from time to time. In 2009-10 particular attention will be paid to the origins and implications of Marx's criticism of capitalism and the post-modernist response to his theories.

The module looks at the analysis of economy, civil society and state in the political theories of Hegel and Marx. Their political philosophies will be explored as accounts of the relation between individual and society, society and progress, and Marx's understanding of the relation between modernity and capitalism will be critically evaluated. In the session 2009-10 the module will contrast the political philosophies of Hegel and Marx with those of the post-modernists M. Foucault and Jean-Francois Lyotard. Foucault's account of governmentality will be contrasted with Marx and Hegel's account of the disciplinary methods of modern society.