History of Political ThoughtModule Details

Rationale 

This course will focus on the history of western political thought from the medieval period to the ancient period of classical Greece and Rome and to the modern era. It will provide students with a profound knowledge of significant political thinkers and their works through which it will trace the development of core political concepts and values, such as democracy, freedom, sovereignty, rights and citizenship throughout the years. Students will become acquainted with groups of thematically and historically connected texts in order to understand how the language of politics is utilised and changed in certain historical contexts. Some of the continuities and discontinuities in ethical and political dilemmas will also be isolated and analysed. Finally, students will get an understanding of how the history of political thinking has affected the contemporary political scene and they will get the opportunity to enhance their ability to critically reason about political questions. 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to:
(i)    Analyse the significance of political thought. 
(ii)   Describe the work of some of the most prominent thinkers from the history of political thought.
(iii)  Describe the most important political ideas since ancient period and how these relate and implicate contemporary politics.
(iv)  Compare the ideas of the political theorists discussed in the course. 
(v)   Analyse authentic texts by the political thinkers covered in the course.
(vi)  Explain how doctrines of selected political theorists arose from certain socio-cultural contexts.
(vii) Apply the political ideas discussed in the course to current political issues.
(viii)Debate on key political notions such as democracy, freedom, sovereignty, rights and citizenship.
(ix)  Describe how political ideas and notions evolved through time and how they affected society.