Studying at York
Introduction to the History of Political Thought - POL00016I
- Department: Politics and International Relations
- Credit value: 10 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
This module introduces some of the foundational texts of modern political thought – by Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hume, and Kant. Their classic status owes something to the clarity with which they identify and articulate questions in and about politics that remain pertinent, and troubling, today.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
- This module explores the continued relevance of some classic texts in modern political theory. It focuses specifically on the 'social contract tradition' and its critics: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hume, and Kant. Through careful and engaged reading of these texts we will investigate crucial philosophical questions that continue to call for a response: about the nature of legitimate authority, the state, rights, inequality and servitude, freedom, and political obligation. In their turn, these questions open up still deeper questions about the nature of politics and human nature: why do we need politics, and what ends is it intended to serve? We will examine different interpretations of these texts and the uses to which they have been put in the centuries since their publication – a reception history that has, among other things, seen some of our authors anointed as the founding fathers of modern liberalism. We will critically assess the arguments these texts contain and the visions of politics they lay before us, to see what lessons can still be drawn from them for understanding the world in which we live and the challenges involved in making and sustaining a civilized common life. If we begin the module by asking what history can ‘do’ for political theorists, we may conclude it by reflecting that political theorists cannot afford to be ignorant of the history of their discipline.
Module learning outcomes
- To develop in students a critical understanding of important texts in the history of political thought;
- To develop students' analytical, argumentative and communicative skills;
- To develop a critical understanding of some of the key texts in the history of political thought;
- To develop an ability to advance and analyse philosophical arguments about political ideas.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor?s feedback and guidance hours.
Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 20 working days after submission; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor?s regular feedback and guidance hours.
Indicative reading
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan.
John Locke, Two Treatises of Government.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality and Social Contract.
David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature.
Immanuel Kant, Political Writings.