GV150-4-SP-CO:
Politics and Power
2020/21
Government
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Sunday 17 January 2021
Friday 26 March 2021
15
05 January 2021
Requisites for this module
(none)
GV151
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA L200 Politics,
BA L201 Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA L202 Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA L203 Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA L2CH Social Sciences,
BA LFCH Social Sciences,
BA L225 Politics and International Relations,
BA L226 Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA L227 Politics and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL234 Politics and International Relations,
MPOLL235 Politics and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL236 Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad)
We study some fundamental texts of the 'Western' philosophical tradition and seek to examine the assumptions underlying these texts as well as the implications they have for us today. We will explore profound themes such as freedom, liberalism, republicanism, the meanings of labour and gender, and the effects of mass society on the individual. We will locate these texts in their respective historical contexts to better understand them as political acts. That is, these authors were responding to their particular contexts and trying to effect change. Our purpose in engaging with these texts is not to canonize them; rather, it is to understand their contribution to the history of the western world – for better or for worse.
The module aims to:
1. Introduce students to critics of liberalism and to stimulate interest in the topic
2. Familiarise students with key concepts in political theory such as freedom, rights, equality, and with debates that surround these concepts.
3. Equip students with the understanding of the relevance of political theory to the study of politics. These are not esoteric texts; they are profound political acts with current relevance.
The concepts and debates taught in this module constitute the bread and butter issues of politics. Anyone interested in politics and related fields should therefore find the content of value both as a citizen, and across numerous professions, including positions in the law, and with NGOs, think tanks, political parties, and the civil services. If a student’s specialisation is in empirical political science, the normative study of politics develops students’ sense of which empirical questions and topics are morally important and why. Thus, the course is useful for students preparing to undertake postgraduate research in political science.
See module outline for reading list - available on Talis and Moodle
One weekly pre-recorded lecture and one weekly interactive lecture
- Foucault, Michel. (1979) Discipline and punish: the birth of the prison, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.
- Estranged Labour, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/labour.htm
- (no date) J.S. Mill's On Liberty.
- (no date) The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Genealogy of Morals, by Friedrich Nietzsche..
- Marx, Karl; Engels, Frederick; Moore, Samuel. (1968) 'Manifesto of the Communist Party', in Selected works, Moscow: Progress Publishing., pp.98-137
- (no date) The Portable Hannah Arendt.
- Wollstonecraft, Mary. (2018) 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman', in Princeton readings in political thought: essential texts from Plato to populism, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press., pp.362-370
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Online Test 1 |
|
60% |
| Coursework |
Online Test 2 |
|
40% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Shreyaa Bhatt, email: s.bhatt@essex.ac.uk.
TBC
Module Supervisor Shreyaa Bhatt sbhatt@essex.ac.uk
Module Administrator: Nicola Rowley, govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 484 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
484 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
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