Postgraduate Course: Methods in Political Theory (20 CREDIT) (PGSP11277)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course would cover specialised methods in political theory, such as the following (amongst others):
1. The Cambridge School and the History of Political Thought.
2. The use of historical thought in contemporary political theory.
3. Textual analysis in political theory.
4. The political theory of political institutions.
5. The theory and practive of contemporary analytical theory.
6. Analytical political theory v. continental political theory.
7. Relativism, Subjectivism, ethical Realism: metha-ethics and normative moral judgment.
Which topics are taught will depend on teaching availability, but also, and more importantly, on students? own research topics in any given year, other themes and topics would be added to the list. The focus of the course is very much on linking methodological issues with identifiable research projects. For example, a student trying to reconstruct a Lockean theory of political obligation would learn how to distinguish between a claim made by Locke, and a Lockean claim. These are not arcane questions: failing to address them can, more often than not, make the difference between a successful argument and a failed attempt. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To expose students to a wide range of methodological issues in political theory and the history of political thought, and to complement the grounding provided by Explanation and Understanding.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course, the students will have read major methodological work in political theory; they will have learnt to identify the methodological problems raised by their own, specific, research project, and to locate the resources which will help them solve those problems. They will also have learnt to see the different sub-fields within political theory as linked by common themes and methodological concerns, rather than as discrete fields of inquiry.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Tim Hayward
Tel: (0131 6)50 4238
Email: Tim.Hayward@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: gillian.macdonald@ed.ac.uk |
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