| Unit name | Contemporary Political Theory |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLI22202 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Fowler |
| 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 | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
The unit teaches normative political analysis, how to assess value judgements used in politics. This is an essential component of engaging in politics either as a participant, researcher, or as a citizen. You will apply this skillset to a number of contested political debates, including free speech, affirmative action, and the ethics of war. In so doing you will also gain an appreciation on the state of academic debate in these domains.
How does the unit fit into your programme of study?
Political theory is one of the core strands of our politics programs, with units across all levels. The unit is optional and allows interested students to build on skills and literature discussed in first year and is useful preparation - though not essential - for several third year units and for doing a theory dissertation
An overview of content
The unit will deal with a series of contemporary papers or chapters in the discipline of analytic political theory. Each will be chosen to give an insight into a different applied debate, for instance, the rights of migrants, the ethics of war or justice in the family but the papers will vary from year to year as they are updated.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will have an understanding of recent debates across political theory. You will be equipped to understand the normative dimensions of political arguments, and to deconstruct the premises and assumptions of such arguments. They will be able to critique leading works in the discipline and to propose their own views in response to this literature
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing the unit you:
1. Will have an understanding of the work of leading political theorists, such as Rawls, Dworkin and Okin and see how their work influences current debates.
2. Will be able to summarise and explain published work in political theory.
3. Will be able to critique normative arguments and propose their own ideas in response.
Lectures on the course will centre around discussions of particular academic papers or chapters, with the goal of enabling you to understand and respond to complex normative arguments about politics. Teaching is seen as primarily skills focussed, i.e. the goal is not to communicate just a body of knowledge about what theorists have said previously, but rather to enable you to engage in such arguments and formulate your own principles and theories. The seminars are thus exercises in group debate about the required reading (contextualised by further reading) and an opportunity to see how your reactions to this reading differ from your fellow students
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will write a 1500 word critical response to one of the pieces of core reading for the first three weeks of the course (your choice of any of the core reading). This will assess your ability to contextualise the piece within a broader literature, to summarise the argument, and to assess possible critiques.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
You will write a 2500 word critical response to a published political theory paper or book chapter, which will be one of the pieces of core reading. You will be required to write on one of three papers, from a total of 7 possible weeks pieces (since the three covered in formative will not come up again) . (This is a 100% assignment assessing all ILOs)
When assessment does not go to plan
You will normally complete the reassessment in the same format as those outlined above. You will be required to provide a response to a different political theory from amongst the same 3.
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. POLI22202).
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.
