GV948-7-SP-CO:
Democracy and Freedom
2024/25
Government
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
15
23 April 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MA L20512 Political Theory,
MA L20524 Political Theory,
MA L205EB Political Theory
GV948 is a module in political theory. We read classic texts that first formulated our modern ideas of democracy and freedom, as well as more contemporary texts that challenge these ideas. We will discuss democracy from a range of historical, normative, and theoretical perspectives. Questions include: What is democracy? What is democracy’s value? What are the practices that are constitutive of democracy? We will also consider some challenges for democracy, considering contemporary threats to democracy and freedom.
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce students to, and stimulate interest in, a range of ideas and concepts around democracy and freedom
- To examine a number of central debates in historical and contemporary political thought
- To engage in clear verbal and written normative argumentation
- To understand the normative dimensions of key concepts and debates in democratic theory
- To introduce students to the work of major contemporary political theorists
- To develop critical thought and writing skills
No additional information available.
The teaching is structured in weekly two-hour seminars.
Members of the seminar are expected to attend on a weekly basis, and be prepared to discuss the essential texts in the seminars.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Research Paper 1 |
|
40% |
| Coursework |
Research Paper 2 |
|
60% |
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 Laura Montanaro, email: lmonta@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Laura Montanaro
Please contact govpgquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
Dr Adrian Florea
University of Glasgow
Senior Lecturer in International Relations
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Government
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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