GV302      One Unit
Key Themes in Political Thought

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

Course Convenor

Dr Vincent Harting

Availability

This course is available on the BA in Social Anthropology, BSc in History and Politics, BSc in International Social and Public Policy with Politics, BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (with a Year Abroad), BSc in Politics, BSc in Politics and Economics, BSc in Politics and International Relations, BSc in Politics and Philosophy and BSc in Social Anthropology. This course is not available as an outside option to students on other programmes. This course is not available to General Course students.

This course is capped at one group.

Requisites

Pre-requisites:

Students must have completed GV100 before taking this course.

Course content

This advanced course treats some of the major themes in political thought as drawn from the writings of selected political philosophers of the ancient Greek, Roman, early modern and modern periods. The aim is to analyse and interpret in some depth a selected sub-set of thinkers and topics in order to explore continuities and discontinuities in ethical and political problems and their solutions over time and changing contexts.

Examples of possible themes include: different views on the nature of "man" and the consequences for political agency of different perspectives on human reason; changing conceptions of justice; different views on government and the state's relation to the individual; the historical and socio-political presuppositions behind the different constitutional regimes; the role of religion in politics; changing perspectives on the relationship between life in the family and a life of active citizenship.

Teaching

20 hours of seminars in the Autumn Term.
20 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.

This course is taught in a seminar style format. There will be no distinction between lectures and classes; we will instead meet for weekly 2 hour sessions during Autumn and Winter Terms. Seminar discussion will be student led, which means that it is vital for students to come to the sessions well prepared, with weekly readings being done in advance of each session. As this course is assessed by written essays, there will be no revision session during Spring Term. The total teaching will be 40 hours.

Formative assessment

Essay (1500 words)

Essay (1500 words)

There will be 2 formative assignments over the year, with an essay of up to 1,500 words due & returned in the AT, and a second essay of up to 1,500 words due towards the end of the WT.

Indicative reading

Examples of possible primary sources: Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics; Aristotle, The Politics; Hobbes, Leviathan; Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant, The Metaphysics of Morals; JS Mill, On Liberty, JS Mill, Utilitarianism.

Assessment

Essay (50%, 2500 words) in Winter Term Week 1

Essay (50%, 2500 words) in Spring Term Week 1


Key facts

Department: Government

Course Study Period: Autumn and Winter Term

Unit value: One unit

FHEQ Level: Level 6

CEFR Level: Null

Keywords: Political Thought, Political Theory

Total students 2024/25: Unavailable

Average class size 2024/25: Unavailable

Capped 2024/25: No
Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course selection videos

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.

Personal development skills

  • Leadership
  • Self-management
  • Problem solving
  • Communication
  • Specialist skills