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Description
Modern politics is marked by deep and entrenched inequalities of power. Should we be concerned if modern governments hold immense power over their citizens? Or if modern corporations dominate their employees? If men exploit women? If Whites are treated better than Blacks? If countries in the Global North set the terms for those in the Global South? This module addresses the deeper philosophical and ethical issues that underlie these questions.
Students will examine both some of the foundational contemporary theories, and some of the foundational historical theorists, that continue to shape current political practice. Regarding contemporary theories, the module focuses on theories of freedom. It uses this as a launchpad to consider other key political concepts, including coercion and consent, legitimacy and democracy, domination and oppression, justice and equality, property and poverty. Regarding historical thinkers, the module examines canonical figures like Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Hayek, as well as some equally important, if less well-known, thinkers like Catharine Macaulay, Olympe de Gouges, Frederick Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, Kwame Nkrumah, Angela Davis, and the Black lesbian feminists in the Combahee River Collective.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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