Undergraduate Course: Theories of Power (SCIL10046)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Sociology |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Power is a central concept for social and political analysis. This course introduces you to some major approaches to theories of power, and their application to substantive areas of research. We begin by considering key issues in the conceptualisation of power, and its relation to cognate concepts such as authority, legitimacy and domination. Then we explore the development of theories of power, identifying major debates, and approaches, and engaging with the ideas of key figures such as Machiavelli, Max Weber, Robert Michels, Steven Lukes, Michael Mann, Dennis Wrong, Michel Foucault, and Pierre Bourdieu.. We also consider how certain dimensions of society (e.g. economy, politics, religion and morality, gender, social identity) pose particular questions and highlight particular issues for the investigation of social power. Within this broad frame, exact focus and content varies from year to year. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| By the end of the course students should be able to: identify and critically assess major themes in the theorisation of power; formulate a position on the value and importance of contending conceptions of power; analyse the ways substantive fields of research inform conceptions of power, and how specific conceptions of power may shape empirical research. |
Assessment Information
| 25% short essay and 75% long essay |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jonathan Hearn
Tel: (0131 6)50 4242
Email: J.Hearn@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Sue Renton
Tel: (0131 6)50 6958
Email: Sue.Renton@ed.ac.uk |
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