Module POL2059 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2059: Political Thought of Modernity
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Aims
To introduce you to the major idioms of political theorising and ideological discourses (e.g. Republicanism, Liberalism, Romanticism, Idealism, Historicism - idealist and materialist, Utilitarianism) from C18th and C19th Europe through the study of selected texts by the major thinkers in the period. To introduce you to the major themes and issues addressed in these texts and some of the major interpretations offered of those texts. To develop your ability to critically assess such interpretations against the texts themselves. To understand the significance of some of the major historical events and contexts both in reading and understanding those texts and as topics addressed in the formation of early modern and modern states, the role of religious controversy, civil war, emergence of commercial society, the French Revolution, industrial capitalism.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate knowledge of major Western political theories of the modern period (Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Marx and J.S. Mill); 2. understand, summarise and interpret complex and abstract arguments in politics and summarise and precis a political theory; 3. appreciate the part played by these theories in the emergence of modern understandings of the state and politics; |
| 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; 7. prepare essays and presentations 8. learn from others by undertaking peer evaluation and take a critical attitude towards your work |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Themes and authors covered may vary slightly from year to year. Some of the authors and themes covered may comprise:
Rousseau’s critique of civilisation, the origins of inequality and its consequence; The Social Contract and the General Will.
Burke on rationalism and custom, radical and conservative Freedom, and Burkes response to the French Revolution and his critics.
Paine and Natural Rights theory.
Wollstonecraft and the beginning of feminism thought; the socialization of men and women.
Kants ideas of the Enlightenment, of Public right, of Perpetual peace and cosmopolitan duties.
Hegels Philosophy of Rights account of abstract right, civil society, the state, international order and world history.
From Hegel to Marx: the critique of religion and the materialisation of alienation.
Marxs theory of history, structure and change; his critique of capitalism.
Mills Utilitarianism, his essay On Liberty, and The Subjection of Women.
Nietzsche on the death of God and the illusion of morality, on Overman and its implications for politics.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 27.5 | 122.5 |
...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 activity | 163.5 | 11 x 1.5 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 10 | 10 x 1 hour tutorials |
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 1 | Review Session |
| Guided Independent Learning | 122.5 | 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.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discussions in lectures and tutorials | During lectures and tutorials | 1-6, 8 | Verbal |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay one | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written |
| Essay two | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | 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 one | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September assessment period |
| Essay two | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September assessment period |
