Module POLM803 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
POLM803: Sources in Modernity and Post-Modernity
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 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
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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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 |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The module explores some of the main themes in modern and post-modern political thought from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Topics selected may vary from year to year. Main debates covered may comprise several of the following themes: Liberty; Toleration; State and Civil Society; Capitalism and the Market; Social Contract theories; the idea of Enlightenment; Utility and Pleasure; Post-modernity. Topics for the Reading Group vary from year to year, comprising a variety of texts and approaches in political thought.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
22 | 278 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 hours | Weekly meetings (2-3 hours per week), comprising both substantive classes, and preparation for and participation in the Reading Group meetings. |
Guided independent study | 278 hours | Independent study |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
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Exercise comprising commentaries on selected texts | 40 | 3,000 words | 1-7 | Written feedback |
Essay | 60 | 5,000 words | 1-7 | Written feedback |
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 |
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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).