Module SGIA3561: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA3561: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Prerequisites

• Any SGIA Level 1 or 2 political theory module OR any SGIA Level 2 module together with a political philosophy or political theory module from another department

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module aims to further develop student's skills in critical normative theory through the exploration of selected issues in contemporary social and political philosophy.
• The module builds on the theoretical knowledge and skills gained at levels one and two.
• The central focus will be on exploring and applying accounts of injustice and the ethics of political action. During the course insights from normative theory will be utilised to explore and elucidate public policy problems.

Content

• The module challenges students to think normatively and critically about public policy dilemmas.
• It introduces students to selected philosophical debates concerning social justice and the ethics of political action.
• It teaches students how to use normative theory to defend particular public policies objectives, social institutions, norms and political actions.

Learning Outcomes

• During the module students should develop a strong understanding of contemporary debates in social and political philosophy. Including:
• the normative assumptions behind disagreements regarding public policy approaches and objectives.
• competing theories of social justice and accounts of what constitutes injustice.
• central approaches to ethics from moral philosophy.
• relevant methodological and meta-ethical disputes in normative theory.
• elements of the history of political thought that bear on the issues in question.

• Students should develop important subject specific skills, such as:
• How to use normative theories to critically evaluate public policies, political institutions and social movements.
• How to formulate reasoned arguments in favour of particular policy proposals, institutions and interventions.
• How to analyse and evaluate competing conceptions of justice.
• How to spot common fallacies and invalid reasoning in normative argumentation.
• How to plan and execute normative research projects.

• Students should also enhance key skills, including:
• Project design and management at both individual and group level, the latter involving teamwork.
• Finding and retrieving appropriate resources to utilise competently and confidently in their own work.
• Basic logic and reasoning skills.
• Flexibility in applying knowledge to new areas and problems while working to deadlines.
• Effective communication of knowledge.
• Planning and completing successfully written assignments.
• Presenting work in a well-structured, clear and coherent manner.
• Using C and IT to retrieve relevant sources and present their work in an appropriate manner.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning are via a combination of lectures, tutorials and discussion board sessions. Lectures provide for the delivery of subject specific knowledge and enable staff to highlight key areas of dispute in the field. Smaller-group tutorials enable students to explore the subject in more depth and discuss competing evaluations and assessments of the theories and debates covered in the module. They also offer an opportunity for students to structure and communicate knowledge in response to the dynamics of the class. Discussion board sessions offer students a chance to practice similar skills outside of class and away from the pressure of speaking publicly and under time pressure. Ina ddition they allow students and opportunity to improve theor written communication of ideas, arguments and objections explored in the course.
• Formative assessment in the form of contribution a team debate offers students an opportunity to formulate arguments and offer critiques. This allows for the development of key argumentative and critical thinking skills and offers an opportunity for immediate in-person feedback that can allow students to hone their skills and develop their arguments further. The second formative in the format of a 1,500 word essay gives students practice at writing up their arguments in advance of summative assessment of a similar kind. This formative allows students to set out their knowledge of the field as well as to develop and defend in a suitably structured and rigorous fashion a response to a set question. This form of formative assessment offers students an opportunity to practice the kind of skills necessary for their summative essay and to receive feedback on the development of their knowledge and understanding, and their subject specific skills. In particular, the formative essay contributes to the students’ ability to develop new skills in normative research, it also enables students to develop their writing, reading and research skills and tests their ability to independently identify, assess and organise resources in support of a consistent academic argument, by a deadline and to a word-limit (1,500 words), requiring students to take responsibility for their own learning.
• Summative assessment is in the form of a 4,000 word research essay. The essay provides an opportunity to develop research skills beyond the reading list; analysing and applying a wide-range of knowledge to produce a critical assessment of a theory or theoretical issue. It tests their ability to plan a more substantial piece of work, identifying and retrieving sources and selecting and displaying appropriate subject specific knowledge and understanding. It tests the ability to develop an extended discussion which utilises concepts and examines competing interpretation and analysis. It also develops key skills in sustaining effective written communication and information presentation to high scholarly standards.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 1,500 word essay. Participation in a team debate

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University