Module POL1025 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL1025: Classical Political Thought
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to:
- introduce you to the practice and tradition of political theorising in the West from the Greeks to the early Christian period through the study of selected texts by major thinkers;
- introduce you to a tradition of textual interpretation and commentary connected with this tradition and some of the major interpretations offered;
- equip you to critically assess such interpretations against the texts yourselves; and
- understand the significance and contributions of the major cultural components of that tradition, namely classical antiquity and early Christianity.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate understanding of the major political theories of the Western tradition between Socrates and Augustine; 2. demonstrate the ability to understand, summarise and interpret complex and abstract arguments in politics; 3. summarise and precis a political theory; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. identify and discuss the major concepts deployed in a theory and their argumentative articulation; 5. engage in both sympathetic interpretation and reasoned criticism of such theories, and to evaluate different interpretations in the light of appropriate evidence; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. evaluate ideas, arguments and texts; and 7. develop and assess communication and peer evaluation skills. |
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.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1000 words | 2,3,4 | Written |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-7 | Written |
| Take-home textual analysis essay (7 days) | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-7 | Written |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-7 | August/September assessment period |
| Take-home textual analysis essay (7 days) | Take-home textual analysis essay (2,000 words) | 1-7 | August/September assessment period |
