Theories of the Modern State
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| POLI3088 | Politics and International Relations | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- POLI3088
- School
- Politics and International Relations
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
The state is the predominant site of power and authority in the modern world. Where modern states do not exist there is usually civil war or occupation; where they are ineffective, politics, society and economy tend to be unstable. But the modern state is also itself a site of violence and coercion in the name of which much suffering has been inflicted on those subject to its power, at home and abroad. Modern politics, then, simply cannot be understood unless we also understand the modern state. By taking this module, students will become familiar with some of the most important theories of the modern state in the history of political thought, from Bodin and Hobbes, through Hegel and Schmitt, to Carole Pateman and Charles W. Mills, very much in the present. Students will come to appreciate how the power and authority of the modern state have been characterised, justified and repudiated during the modern era
Target Students
Available to Final Year UG students in the School of Politics and International Relations on single and joint honours plans. Also available to Final Year UG students on the Liberal Arts plan, Final Year UG students on the Philosophy, Politics and Economics plan, Final Year UG students on the Modern European Studies plan, and incoming exchange students based in the School of Politics and International Relations.
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: 2,000-word essay
- 50% Coursework 2: 2,000-word essay
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
1. To acquaint students with some of the most important theorists and theories of the modern state 2. To establish or question the abiding relevance of these theorists and theories to the political world which we inhabit together3. To deepen students' awareness of the different approaches that may be taken to historical texts, such as contextualism, conceptual history or analytical approaches 4. To establish competence in discussing and writing about historical theories and theoristsLearning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
* come to understand some of the most important arguments advanced about the character, power and authority of the modern state over the last four hundred years
* appreciate the historical and intellectual contexts which occasioned those theoretical interventions.
Intellectual skills
* learn appropriate ways of engaging with complex primary texts, of comparing these to synthesise and interrogate arguments in the secondary literature
* to reflect on the connections between the past and present and theory and practice
* to develop their own arguments.
Professional and practical skills
* work in seminar sessions to deliver presentations and enter into debate to consider the historical and intellectual contexts of theories of the modern state
* research independently in order to interpret and critically evaluate key primary sources and secondary material, and construct detailed, well-referenced arguments.
Transferable (key) skills
* develop problem-solving skills by engaging with texts and critically assessing their arguments, meaning and relevance
* demonstrate organisational, leadership and teamwork skills by working in groups to devise and answer questions
* show initiative and self-motivation by researching independently as they draw on primary and secondary sources including journals and monographs
* demonstrate high standards of verbal and written communication by expressing well-referenced ideas confidently, clearly and convincingly.
Digital skills
* develop their web literacy by using online resources such as the Module’s Moodle page, its online reading list, and the web resources to which those direct them
* prepare a professional, word-processed document for assessment.