Module Code - Title:
PO4022
-
MODERN EUROPEAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Year Last Offered:
2018/9
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
To introduce the major ideas that have shaped the politics of the modern world with particular reference to theories of the state.
Syllabus:
The origins of the state, including the political thought of Machiavelli and Hobbes; the Enlightenment project and the rise of nationalism in European thought; the place of Utopian thought in the formation and development of European political ideas; the form of the liberal state and its place in liberal political economy; Marxist analyses of the liberal state; liberal, socialist and anarchist alternatives to the liberal state; environmental politics and the Green challenge to the current liberal political order; the different forms of feminist thought; the postmodern condition and the role of the state at the end of the modern era.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
Identify the main schools of western political thought
Contrast different political theories
Demonstrate proficiency in basic library skills
Develop basic proficiency in planning and writing essays
Develop basic proficiency in reiviewing political theory texts
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different political theories
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
Demonstrate basic competence in verbal articulation of arguments in a tutorial setting
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
The module is a combination of lectures and tutorials. The lectures will give the student basic information on western political thought. The tutorials give the students a chance to read and discuss selected texts in political theory. Assessment will be via a major paper, a final exam and a series of minor assesments.
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Prime Texts:
D. Boucher & P. Kelly (2003)
Political Thinkers
, Oxford University Press
Other Relevant Texts:
J. McClelland (1996)
A History of Western Political Thought
, Routledge
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
Semester - Year to be First Offered:
Spring
Module Leader:
Andrew.Shorten@ul.ie