| Unit name | Political Economy |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL30142 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Seiriol Morgan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit focuses on questions about money and about power, asking how economic factors and social and political factors interact and affect one another within human societies, especially advanced modern ones such as ours, and how the factors in question may be relevant to issues of social justice and political stability. In the process, the unit addresses such questions as, on the one hand, what is it for people and groups to have personal, social and political power, and what dynamics might be involved in the acquiring and sustaining of it? How does power relate to authority, and in what circumstances might it be morally and politically oppressive? And how might power be effectively challenged? And on the other: what is money, and what role does it play in creating and sustaining the social order and social organisation? What circumstances are necessary for money to function effectively (also: effectively for whom?)? How is money created, who has the power to do so, and how is it decided who should receive it? Different intellectual perspectives on these questions are outlined and examined, and the arguments for them drawn out for students to assess, in the process of developing nuanced views of their own. Increasingly, the various analyses of power and money we examine are brought into dialogue with one another, as we examine the distinctive ways in which (so it is argued) money creates and sustains power in society, and power provides a basis for the acquisition, control and distribution of money.
This unit complements the curriculum’s core units in social and political philosophy, going into significant detail about important aspects of social and political life which have been comparatively neglected until recently. It also equips students with skills that will help them to understand key ongoing and developing debates about politics and society at a deep level, and to take part in them effectively at that level.
The specific thinkers studied will vary, but will usually include some from the Marxist tradition (e.g. Marx himself on capital, Gramsci on hegemony) as well as corresponding representative figures from non-Marxist approaches (e.g. Weber and/or Popitz on power, Smith and/or Keynes on money). Whilst the unit will be taught thematically, due attention will be paid to relevant historical specificity, and certain historical events may be closely studied as examples (e.g. Stalin’s Purges in the USSR). The unit will draw on work from disciplines other than philosophy, such as history, sociology and economics, but no existing advanced knowledge of these will be assumed.
If you successfully complete this unit, you will understand a great deal more than you currently do about how power might function in a society like ours, as well as what money is and the social role it plays, and how the two factors might interact. Hence you will understand existing society and our social and political prospects better. This knowledge will be especially useful for politically interested and engaged students, with the detailed understanding of these issues the unit provides making possible deep engagement with important ongoing and developing social, political and economic debates.
Learning Outcomes
Students successfully completing the unit will be able to:
Lectures, small group work, individual exercises, seminars and virtual learning environment.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
None
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by th
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHIL30142).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
