Undergraduate Course: Conservatism and the Right (PLIT10165)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines the political thought and actions of those who describe themselves as conservatives or on the political right. Austerity, Brexit and Trumpism are all ideas that have been described as emanating from the right. But what does that mean? This course considers the development of conservatism as a political philosophy and examines its relationship with democracy, populism, and economic liberalism. |
| Course description |
Many of the recent political phenomena that most exercise social scientists (like Brexit, Trumpism or austerity) have been said to have their origins on the right. But there is a fierce debate about what being truly conservative or 'right-wing' means. Is there really anything that unites Thatcher, Le Pen and Palin? This course seeks to unpack the political thought and actions of those who describe themselves as conservative or on the right. Using examples from across the world, we will consider the success and failure of right-wing ideas and how the right has shifted in response to rapidly changing economies and electorates.
The first part of the course examines the philosophy of conservatism and the idea of the right of the political spectrum. We will examine key thinkers on the right (from Burke to Scruton) and ask whether conservatism is more of a state of mind than a collection of ideas.
The second part of the course considers the right in action. Is there any relationship between conservative ideas and parties of the right? We will use a diverse set of case studies to examine how ideas are put into practice and how conservative politicians interpret their actions. These will vary from year to year but are likely to include the relationship between conservatism and: gender and sexuality, economic liberalism, and education.
Finally, we will consider the future of the right in liberal democracies and the extent to which it must compromise with nationalism, populism, and backlash politics.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Essay 1 (2000 words) 40% (students answer one question from a choice of 6)«br /»
Essay 2 (2500 words) 60% (students choose their own essay question) |
| Feedback |
The aim is to return feedback within 3 weeks of the submission deadline. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the development of conservatism as a political philosophy
- Discuss the relationship between conservative ideas and their articulation by politicians of the right
- Analyse the key dilemmas in conservative political thought about tradition and change and how these relate to contemporary political issues
- Account for the rise of right-wing populism and the politics of backlash
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Reading List
Edmund Fawcett (2020) Conservatism: The Fight for a Tradition.
Sarah Childs and Paul Webb (2011) Sex, Gender and the Conservative Party.
Edmund Neill (2021) Conservatism.
Emily Jones (2019) Edmund Burke and the Invention of Modern Conservatism, 1830-1914.
Roger Eatwell and Matthew Goodwin (2018) National Populism: The Revolt against Liberal Democracy.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Create, identify, and evaluate options in order to solve complex problems.
- Conduct research and enquiry into relevant issues through research design, the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, synthesising, and reporting.
- Recognise and address ethical dilemmas, social responsibility, and sustainability issues, applying ethical and their own/organisational values to situations and choices.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Alan Convery
Tel: (0131 6)50 8255
Email: aconvery@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Alison Lazda
Tel: (0131 6)51 5572
Email: Alison.Lazda@ed.ac.uk |
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