| CODE | PPL1944 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Political Thought | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 8 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Policy, Politics and Governance | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit is an introduction to political thought, ideas and philosophy. It introduces students to the history of political thought, from antiquity to contemporary times, showing how central political notions have developed over time. The study-unit deals more systematically with the contribution of major philosophers in the history of political thought, from Plato to Hobbes, from Rousseau to Marx, from Wollstonecraft to Arendt. It also introduces students to central notions in political thought, such as democracy, government, the state, power, resistance and ideologies. Moreover, the study-unit engages with central questions in political theory, such as: Why is government needed? What is democracy, and is it attainable? What are the key features of liberalism, the free market, socialism, populism and nationalism? Are political ideologies relevant today? What is the relationship between law and morality? Is civil disobedience justified? What are the political thoughts and ideas raised by multicultural societies? What are the political ideas propounded by contemporary social movements? The study-unit blends theoretical and historical ideas with applications to contemporary social and political realities. Study-Unit Aims: - Introduce students to the important theories, issues and concepts that are addressed by political thinkers; - Demonstrate a practical application of political theory by evaluating the influence of ideology and political movements on politics and government; - Present the development of Western political thought and ideas as they emerged historically from antiquity to the Middle Ages, through the Enlightenment to contemporary times; - Contextualise political ideas within their historical emergence, explaining the historical events and contexts that led to the rise of particular political ideas and ideologies; - Clarify the meaning of different political ideologies and their relevance today; - Introduce students to key debates in political theory surrounding topics of power, authority, democracy, liberty and equality. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Review treatises in political thought, analyse and explain clearly their content; - Explain ideas of key thinkers in the history of political thought; - Distinguish concepts such as the state, authority, government, democracy and power; - Explain key features of different political positions and ideologies; - Discuss the dimensions of civil society within a working democracy; - Analyse practical examples and emerging political thinking using the tools of classical and modern political theories. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Interpret contemporary political phenomena and discourses in light of political thought; - Recognise how the history of political thought shapes current events; - Assess the content of political propositions, and analyse its relevance to real-world politics; - Discuss contemporary social and political affairs in light of the history of political thought. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Heywood, A. 2015. Political Theory: An Introduction, 4th edition. Macmillan International. - Heywood, A. 2021. Political Ideologies: An Introduction, 7th edition. Macmillan International. - Tannenbaum, D. 2012. Inventors of Ideas: Introduction to Western Political Philosophy, 3rd ed. Cengage Learning. Supplementary Readings: - Goodwin, B. 2014. Using Political Ideas. 6th edition. Wiley. - Haddock, B. 2008. A History of Political Thought: From Antiquity to the Present. Polity. - Hay C., M. Lister & D. Marsh. 2022. The State: Theories and Issues, Bloomsbury. - White, M.J. 2012. Political Philosophy: A Historical Introduction, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Colin Borg Kurt Borg |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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