Module Information

Module Identifier
IP22220
Module Title
Political Theory
Academic Year
2018/2019
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Other Staff

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Workshop 3 x 2 Hour Workshops
Lecture 16 x 1 Hour Lectures
Seminar 10 x 1 Hour Seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment 2500 Word Essay  50%
Semester Exam 2 Hours   2 Hour Exam  50%
Supplementary Assessment 2500 Word Essay  50%
Supplementary Exam 2 Hours   2 Hour Exam  50%

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Identify and discuss in detail key themes in the history of political thought.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of key concepts in political theory.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of key texts in the history of political thought .
4. Analyse the key issues and distinctions raised by an original text in political theory.
5. Evaluate the importance, consistency and coherence of political arguments across centuries.

Brief description

This module provides an introduction to the history of political
theory and a close analysis of specific ideas, including good
government, state of nature and rule of law, and thinkers, such as
Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Kant.
It combines lecture tuition with seminars, giving students the
wider context as well as an opportunity to get first-hand access to
some of the key texts in political theory. By learning about and
analyzing ideas from temporally and/or spatially distant contexts,
students develop crucial analytical skills that will allow them to
better understand, analyse and judge the political issues of our
day.

Content

The module is taught through a combination of lectures, seminars
and workshops and proceeds through ancient, renaissance and
modern political theory. Topics covered during the lectures and
seminars include:
• Political theory and its history
• Ancient political thought: Plato
• Ancient political thought: Aristotle
• Medieval political theory: Augustine
• From medieval political theory to renaissance
• The art of government: Machiavelli
• Modern political theory: Hobbes
• Social contract liberalism: Locke
• Context and constitution: Montesquieu
• Society and morality: Rousseau
• General will and democracy: Rousseau
• Universal moral law: Kant
• Systematic political philosophy: Kant and Hegel
• Alienation and emancipation: Marx
• Individuality and liberty: JS Mill
• Political Theory and International Politics
The lectures and seminars will be supplemented by 3 workshops,
aimed at familiarizing students with the wider context in which
political ideas were/are produced and their impact on wider
society.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number N/A
Communication Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing themselves to advantage. They will understand the importance of information communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication advantage. They will learn to be clear and direct in their writing and speaking aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant objectives of their argument or discussion. Seminars will be run in groups where presentations will form the main medium of teaching and the emphasis throughout be on student participation and communication.
Improving own Learning and Performance The module aims to promote selfmanagement but within a context of assistance from both the convenor and the fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and to exercise their own initiative, including searching for sources, compiling reading lists, and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their essay topics. The need to meet an essay deadline will focus students' attention on the need to manage their time and opportunity resources well.
Information Technology Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information on the web, as well as seeking sources through electronic information sources. Students will also be expected to make use of the resources that will be available on the Blackboard.
Personal Development and Career planning This module is designed to hone and test skills of use to students in their working lives, particularly in speaking to small groups, listening, thinking and responding to the statement of others. Moreover, the written work includes writing clearly and concisely, which is a common task in the workplace. Students will be encouraged throughout to reflect on their performance and to consider lessons for future application.
Problem solving Problem solving will be one of the central goals of the module; the submission of an essay will require that the student develops independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt differing points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to the problem; consider extreme cases; reason logically; construct theoretical models; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems.
Research skills The submission of an essay will reflect the independent research skills of the student. The need to locate appropriate research resources and write up the results will also facilitate research skills.
Subject Specific Skills Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas on the module. These subject specific skills include: • Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the module • Ability to evaluate competing perspectives • Demonstrate subject specific research techniques • Apply a range of methodologies to complex political problems
Team work Students will undertake team exercises in the seminars. For many of the topics of this module, seminars will consist of smallgroup discussions where students will be asked to discuss as a group the core issues related to the seminar topic. These class discussions and debates form a significant part of the module, and will allow students to approach and examine a given topic through team work.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5