Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 19 x 1 Hour Lectures |
| Seminar | 10 x 1 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 1,500 word essay | 50% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours (1 x 2 Hour Exam) | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 1 x 1,500 word essay | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours (1 x 2 Hour Exam) | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Outline key basic concepts and concerns of political theory
2. Analyse the core assumptions of liberal political thought
3. Outline and evaluate how Marxism disputes Liberalism’s understanding of political modernity
4. Analyse the importance of gender for thinking about the political
5. Demonstrate an understanding of what is meant by Post-Positivism and why such approaches emphasise power and knowledge
6. Demonstrate an ability to relate changing political thought to its historical context
Brief description
The course will be organised in four broad themes. First, students will be introduced to Liberalism, as the dominant form of political organisation of the modern world. This will be followed by overviews of three critical challengers to the Liberal orthodoxy: Marxism, Feminism and Post-Positivism. These various approaches to thinking about the political will be set within a historical context, in order to bring out the connection between history and the development of theory. At each stage students will be introduced to the central concepts of the theories covered and will be asked to think about the different ways in which they shape both how we might think about the world and how we can understand international relations.
Content
The module begins by introducing students to the idea of political theory and is then divided into four broad subject areas, covered in sequence: Liberalism, Marxism, Feminism and Post-Positivism. It is intended to provide a thorough introduction to each of these, using Liberalism, the major political theory of modernity, as its continual point of reference. The lectures and seminars will cover the historical background of each of these topic areas, critically explore their key concepts as ‘domestic’ political theories, and also consider how those concepts carry to the international sphere. The classes will also encourage students to think about each of these theoretical approaches in relation to the others, assessing their strengths and weaknesses and considering how they invite us to understand the political world. Additionally, the module will explore some of the links of political thought to cognate disciplines, such as social theory, history, philosophy and political economy.
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. They will learn the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to best advantage. They will learn to be clear in their writing and speaking and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. The presentation of work should reflect effective expression of ideas and good use of language skills in order to ensure clarity, coherence and effective communication. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context in which support and assistance is available from both the convenor and fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and exercising their own initiative, including searching for sources and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their coursework and presentation topics. The need to meet coursework deadlines will focus students’ attention on the need to manage their time. |
| Information Technology | Students will be expected to submit their work electronically. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information on the web. |
| 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 | Independent work and problem solving will be one central goal of the module; the submission of two essays will require that students develop 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 | Students will be required to undertake independent research for elements of the assessed work. This will involve utilizing media and web sources, as well as more conventional academic texts. Students will in part be assessed on their ability to gather appropriate and interesting resource materials. |
| 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 Evaluate competing perspectives Demonstrate subject specific research techniques Apply a range of methodologies to complex historical and contemporary political problems. |
| Team work | Students will undertake team exercises in the seminars. For many of the topics of this module, seminars will consist of small-group 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 4