PO2PHC: Political Classics

Module code: PO2PHC

Module provider: Politics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Alan Cromartie, email: a.d.t.cromartie@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Rufaida Al Hashmi, email: rufaida.alhashmi@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The purpose of this module is to teach you about thinkers, ideas, and traditions that have always played a central part in the study of politics and that you will repeatedly encounter in Part Three.  We use the writings of a selection of classic thinkers to look some difficult problems that have never been resolved: Why have a state at all? What are states for and are there any limits on their power?  Is the existence of private property a good thing, an unjustifiable thing, or a necessary evil?  How important is individual autonomy?  Is non-democratic government sometimes a good idea?  Is equality of outcome a worthwhile objective?  Are our inherited ways of thinking about politics capable of adjusting to the reasonable demands of feminist, green, and other challenges to a framework that was invented for European men?  Do conservatism, liberalism, socialism, and nationalism look more or less appealing when you know their origins? 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Give an account of the main arguments associated with five classic thinkers 
2. Describe the main features of such traditions as liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and nationalism 
3. Relate the strengths and weaknesses of those thinkers and traditions to their historical  contexts 
4. Reflect upon their relevance to the study of Politics and International Relations 

Module content

Students will be introduced to the principal traditions and achievements of political theory by studying the works of such thinkers as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Herder, Burke, Wollstonecraft, J.S.Mill, Marx, and Gandhi.  The extracts that are studied in class will be treated as exemplary of such larger traditions as republicanism, liberalism, conservatism, liberalism, feminism, and nationalism.  Attention will be given to the way that such traditions reflect the interests of their creators and have the effect of excluding alternative voices.  The aim is both to inculcate a basic understanding of the principal claims of these thinkers and to give students practice in mastering difficult texts that were composed in past and alien cultures. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be delivered through a mixture of lectures and classes.  The lectures will approach the material in rough chronological order, with a view to providing students with a background narrative of the development of political theory from 1600 to the present day.  The classes will read extracts from the works of particular thinkers.  Both will be supplemented by a number of brief screencasts (typically 10-15 minutes in length) and by end-of-topic multiple-choice quizzes. 

Study hours

At least 22 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs