Module POL1026 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL1026: Early Modern Political Thought
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The module will introduce you to some canonical texts of the early modern period. You will be encouraged to appreciate the originality and saliency of these texts within the political context in which they were written and to understand the significance of the controversies and debates that have surrounded them since their publication. You will develop your ability to analyse philosophical arguments and to situate the texts studied in the appropriate historical contexts. You will be encouraged to engage in close textual reading while developing an awareness of the wider themes and concepts that inform early modern political thought.
There are no prerequisites for this module, although it is designed to complement Classical Political Thought (POL1025) and Political Thought of Modernity (POL2059).
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the major political theories of the Western tradition between the Renaissance and the French Revolution; 2. Understand, summarise, and interpret complex and abstract arguments in politics 3. Analyse major works of political theory; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. 4. Identify and discuss the major concepts deployed in a political theory and their argumentative articulation 5. 5. Engage in both sympathetic interpretation and reasoned criticism of such theories, and evaluate different interpretations in the light of appropriate evidence |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Evaluate ideas, arguments and texts 7. Develop and assess communication skills 8. Take a critical attitude towards their work and learn from others 9. Work independently, within a limited time frame, to complete a specified task. |
