Unit name | Political Concepts |
---|---|
Unit code | POLI11101 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Professor. Jonathan Floyd |
Open unit status | Open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit provides an introduction to political theory by analysing key political concepts. It introduces students to normative debates surrounding key concepts including power, the state, freedom, equality, justice, democracy, citizenship, human rights and difference. The contestability of these political concepts is explored. Students are introduced to key texts in political theory, including the work of Thomas Hobbes, J.S. Mill and John Rawls. The unit also explores the ways in which political concepts relate to political realities.
Aims:
At the end of the unit a successful student will be able to:
Both the summative essay and the unseen exam will assess the extent to which students have achieved all four of these outcomes.
2 hours of lectures and 1 hour seminar.
Hoffman, J. and P. Graham (2009) Introduction to Political Theory. Harlow: Pearson Education. Heywood, A. (2004) Political Theory: An Introduction Basingstoke: Palgrave. Swift, A. (2006) Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians Cambridge. Wolff, J. (2006) An Introduction to Political Philosophy Oxford: Oxford University Press.