Module POC3120 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC3120: Political Thinkers of the Early Twentieth Century
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.
Module Aims
This module aims to introduce you to the work of several exemplary thinkers of the early twentieth century who were often also participants in the events they reflected on. You will be encouraged to read closely and interpret seminal political texts that informed and animated these thinkers’ contemporaries and have continued to be read and to influence political actors since their publication. The module aims to enhance your understanding of the relation between the biographies of the thinkers examined, the historical context in which they wrote and their enduring significance for contemporary political life.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate detailed and substantive knowledge of the thinkers and texts studied 2. Understand and critically reflect on the role that various thinkers and debates have played in shaping modern political thought |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Assess the coherence, plausibility and significance of political arguments 4. Critically evaluate how political concepts are shaped and transformed by historical context and deployment in action |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. Present complex arguments with clarity and concision 6. Communicate effectively in speech and writing |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The module will survey a range of exemplary thinkers and texts from the early twentieth century. While the specific thinkers and texts surveyed may vary from year to year, they will be selected to reflect a range of themes (such as freedom, revolution, oppression and social order) and ideologies (such as conservativism, socialism, anarchism, libertarianism). An indicative list of thinkers whose work the module might examine includes: W.E.B. Du Bois, Emma Goldman, Rosa Luxemburg, Vladimir Lenin, Mahatma Gandhi, Carl Schmitt, Benito Mussolini, Antonio Gramsci, Simone Weil, and Friedrich August von Hayek.
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 |
---|---|---|
20 | 130 | 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 Activity | 20 | Weekly seminars (10 x 2 hours) |
Guided Independent Study | 40 | Reading and preparation for seminars |
Guided Independent Study | 90 | Preparation and completion of assessment tasks |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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.
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.
W.E.B. Du Bois [1903] The Souls of Black Folks
Emma Goldman [1910] Anarchism and Other Essays
Rosa Luxemburg [1906] The Mass Strike, Political Party and the Trade Unions
Vladimir Lenin [1917] The State and Revolution
Mahatma Gandhi [1920] ‘The Doctrine of the Sword’ and other selected texts from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi.
Carl Schmitt [1932] The Concept of the Political
Simone Weil [1934] ‘Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression’
Friedrich August von Hayek [1944] The Road to Serfdom