This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2006-2007 (archived)
Module POLI3021: ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THEORY
Department: Government and International Affairs (Politics)
POLI3021: ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THEORY
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 3 | 20 | Available in 2006/2007 | None. | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- Foundations of Western Political Thought (POLI2171).
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- None.
Aims
- The module will introduce students to the analysis of some of the key political and moral concepts which have featured in European political discourse during the past two centuries.
- To encourage rigour and discrimination in the formulation and presentation of written and oral arguments.
Content
- The past two centuries in Europe and America have seen the elaboration of the distinctive tradition of politics that we call liberalism: a tradition which invokes a range of potent and familiar concepts - liberty, equality, rights, consent and so on.
- These concepts are, however, characteristically more contestable and problematical than they may at first seem, and a presupposition of this module is that an attempt to come to terms with such contestability is itself a valuable part of an education in Politics.
- Accordingly, students will be encouraged to look critically at the liberal tradition of political theory, and so to acquire, not a specifically historical or textual knowledge, but some skill in the analysis of political and moral argument and of the ways in which liberal authors have understood and evaluated political processes and relationships.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- .
Subject-specific Skills
Key Skills
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- .
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminars | 14 | 7 in Term 1 and 7 in Term 2 | 2 hours | 28 | |
| Preparation and Reading | 172 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essays | 100% | essay 1 3000 words | 50% | ||
| essay 2 3000 words | 50% |
Formative Assessment
In addition to assessed essays, each student will be required to make One seminar presentation in each of the 2 terms
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.