Module SGIA3291: THEORIES OF LIBERTY

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA3291: THEORIES OF LIBERTY

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• Liberty is recognised as one of the key values of western liberal democracies, yet different interpretations of the concept have come to represent opposite actions, like being able to follow your own objectives and to resist the pressures to conform on the one hand, and an active and constant participation in social power on the other. Why is this the case and is it possible to find a single satisfactory concept of freedom?
• The aim of this module is to explore the historical traditions behind several key concepts of liberty, including: positive, negative, republican and capability ones; to examine the approaches to freedom from postcolonial, feminist and disability perspective; to provide explanations about why the meaning of freedom varies, and how, in view of this plurality of meaning, we can make arguments in defence of the value of freedom in principle.

Content

• This module will require the students to study a range of modern and contemporary political theory texts, and thus reconstruct the traditions behind some of the most popular understandings of freedom: positive, negative, republican and capability ones, as well as approaches to freedom from postcolonial, feminist and disability perspectives. It will look at each tradition in turn and discuss the themes that dominated the tradition.
• .This module will study several theories of liberty through the lens of the positive/negative freedom distinction. Some of these theories reflect key ideological turns in 18th, 19th and 20th centuries (Kant and the ideas of the Enlightenment, Constant and the rise of economic liberalism, T.H. Green and the foundation of new liberalism and Isaiah Berlin and the cold war libertarianism). Other theories reflect more recent developments such as, Sen’s freedom as capability and Pettit’s neo-republican freedom, as well as postcolonial, feminist and disability approaches to freedom. This module will help explain how the concept of liberty has been associated with ‘neoliberalism’ and structures of domination and how it can maintain its place in informing progressive reform.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will develop knowledge and understanding of:
• The main theories and debates in the traditions of social contract theory, classical liberalism, new liberalism, neo republicanism, idealism, capability theory, feminism and postcolonialism.
• The historical and political contexts in which these ideas have been developed
• The link between moral philosophy and political theory: through the study of the concept of liberty, students will come to grips with some of the key moral dilemmas in political theory.
• Students will gain more detailed and thorough knowledge about modern and contemporary political theory, and more specifically, about the nature of liberalism, libertarianism, perfectionism, republicanism, postcolonial and feminist theories.

• Students will develop a range of subject specific skills including:
• The ability to perform textual and conceptual analysis.
• To reconstruct the historical tradition of a particular concept.
• To understand the link between political ideas and political conduct.
• To apply their knowledge on liberty towards a more advanced understanding of other political concepts.
• To construct an independent argument

• Students will develop a range of key skills, including:
• Express complex ideas in a succinct and clear fashion.
• The ability to identify useful resources on a particular topic.
• The ability to argue a case as opposed to express an opinion.
• The ability to take alternative perspectives seriously.
• Planning and completing written work on time.
• Take responsibility for their own work

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

• The teaching and learning of the module will be by 9 one-hour lectures, 10 two-hour seminars. The lectures will give a detailed outline, appropriate to a level three module, of the texts, themes and ideas to be studied, and advice as to critical approach and reading. There will be a two-hour seminar following each lecture which will provide opportunity for individual presentations and guided discussion. Each student will have to offer one presentation during the course of the module, but all students will be expected to participate in the discussion of every seminar. Seminar presentations will enhance students' ability to research topics, present their findings to their peers and stimulate debate. The seminars will provide a basis on which to select an area of specialist research for the summative essay.
• Formative assessment is by one 2,000 word essay and one assessment of 600 words comprising of two critical points each a maximum of 300 words in length. Both points will receive feedback and only the second will be graded.
• A critical point is a critical commentary on one or several of the essential readings on one particular topic. It could be (1) in the form of a question that arises on the basis of the text; (2) a statement about what the student has found interesting, unusual, contradictory, significant; (3) a comment about how a problem in the text could be resolved.
• A strong critical point will demonstrate: (1) Comprehensive knowledge of the text (2) Good understanding of the text (3) Capacity to see the important aspects of the text (4) Capacity to engage in critical assessment
• Summative assessment is by one essay of 3,000 words and a second summative assignment of '5 critical points' The second assignment will consist of 5 critical points, each of maximum 300 words in length. Each point has to be based on the essential readings of a particular topic. The '5 critical points' will be submitted in one document.
• The task of these assessments is to develop students research skills for independent research and critical analysis. The essay will allow the students to specialise further on one selected topic and to develop a focused - as opposed to a general - argument. More specifically, the essays will have to demonstrate the historical and conceptual knowledge and skills needed to analyse the concepts of liberty in view of the moral dilemmas they aim to resolve. Although essay topics focus on one particular theory of liberty, the quality of the argument would reflect a good grasp of rival theories. The essays will test the development of the identified key skills.
• The second summative assignment '5 critical points' will contribute towards maintaining a high level of quality of seminar discussions, as each point is to be developed on the bases of a particular seminar topic. The seminar discussions will help develop better critical points and this will impact positively on students' motivation to prepare and for and engage with the discussions at the seminars. The '5 critical points' assignment will help develop valuable critical skills. It will build students' capacity to articulate a succinct, justifiable and clear commentary, particularly useful in handling texts in political theory and political philosophy and in conveying their utility in specific political contexts. Capacity to articulate critical points will help students to convey in clear and accessible language the significance of abstract theoretical analysis.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

1 essay of 2,000 words and 1 assignment ‘2 critical points’ of 600 words consisting of two critical points each a maximum of 300 words.

■ 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