Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM803: Sources of Modernity and Post-Modernity

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Aims

This module is the main core course for the MA programmes in Political Theory (History of Political Thought, and Social and Political Thought). It is also open to other students on related areas of study. Part of it is run in conjunction with the Political Theory Reading Group in Semester 1. The latter is a postgraduate and faculty research seminar series in the Politics Department. Participation in the Reading Group is meant to introduce students to contemporary debates and approaches. Normal classes will introduce students to the formation of modern political and social thought, examining some of the main themes characterizing both modern and post-modern debates. The module is intended to develop your ability to critically reflect about the nature and scope of political and social thought

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the thinkers and topics studied. Ability to reconstruct the socio-historical and intellectual contexts of debates in political theory. 2. Analyze concepts and texts critically. 3. Understand the role that various authors and debates have played in shaping modern political and social thought, and more generally of the character of modern and post-modern thought.
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. Critically evaluate the arguments studied for coherence, plausibility and relevance. 5. Show how argument impacts on practice and the ways in which philosophical argument is transformed both through time and through deployment in political action.
Personal and Key Skills	6. Grasp and present complex arguments with clarity and concision 7. Communicate effectively in speech and writing, work independently and with peers to achieve goals

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Exercise comprising commentaries on selected texts	40	3,000 words	1-7	Written feedback
Essay	60	5,000 words	1-7	Written feedback
	0
	0
	0
	0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Exercise comprising commentaries on selected texts	Exercise comprising commentaries on selected texts ( 3,000 words)	1-7	Next reassessment period
Essay	Essay (5,000 words)	1-7	Next reassessment period

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Hobbes, Leviathan (Cambridge, 1996); John Locke, A Letter concerning Toleration (Cambridge, 2008); I. Kant, What is Enlightenment (Cambridge, 1994); J. S. Mill. On Liberty (Oxford, 1995); Friedrich Nietzsche. On the Genealogy of Morals (Cambridge, 1991).