PTC4052 - Classical Political Theory

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Be aware of the key developments in political thought through the work of influential political thinkers.
Situate these developments in appropriate historical and cultural contexts.
Understand the impact of contemporary political thought on the recent reception of the work of the chosen political thinkers.
Evaluate the ethical and political legacies of the thinkers discussed in this module.
Present research findings in a clear and organised manner.

Content:

Students will study theories and philosophies of normally 4 classical political thinkers, such as (for example) Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Mill, Marx and Engels. They will be required to compare and contrast the theories and ideas of each thinker in class debates, and to apply them to such issues and topics (for example) sovereignty; civil society; power and force; equality; race and gender, and the role of religion and culture in a civic community. The thinkers will be presented through short texts or selected passages and students will develop the ability to explain and experiment with ideas, particularly in a verbal form through debate and discussion.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Seminars/workshops will be the principal modes of delivery. Learning will be supported by material and resources placed on Moodle in advance of each session, and by 'directed activities' (preparation and reading before each seminar as directed by the tutors). The focus of the classes will be on student-led discussion and debate, and the discussions of pre-structured case studies and debates will drive the engagement with the key texts and contemporary criticism. Formative feedback will be provided in each session and will help orient students towards the assessment tasks and the marking criteria.

Seminars/workshops
Hours: 38
Intended Group Size: 50

Group tutorials
Hours: 1
Intended Group Size: 5

Guided independent study
Hours: 161

Further details relating to assessment
Assessment 1 - Directed activities: these consist of weekly tasks that must be completed and submitted for inspection at timetabled sessions each week. The assessment will be assessed on a pass/fail basis with a pass requiring at least 75% of all weekly tasks to be completed successfully. A pass will lead to the full award of 10% towards the final module mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark.

Assessment 3 - The case study report will relate a chosen political thinker's work to a social and political topic. The report will include a statement of and rationale for the thinker's position; support from appropriate secondary criticism; identification and analysis of the most relevant passages or arguments, and a reasoned application to a contemporary social and political topic. It will be made clear in the Module Handbook and through formative feedback that the point is not to find the political thinkers wanting in relation to the complexities of modern conditions, but to bring out elements of their thought that are implicated in the formulation of the problems or issues.

Assessment 2 - The group presentation will require students to compare the work of all of the political thinkers discussed to a contemporary political topic, identifying their relative contributions to formulating and analysing the problem at the heart of the topic. As with the previous assessment task, the point is to find perspectives or aspects of enduring relevance and this will be spelled out in the Module Handbook and in ongoing formative feedback.

Assessment:

001 Directed Activities throughout Semester Two 10%
002 Group Presentation; 10 minutes; Mid-Semester Two 45%
003 Report; 2,000 words; End of Semester Two 45%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Nathan Uglow
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4S2

Click here to go back to previous page