Module description
The module will introduce students to the importance of French Political Thought. It will do so through close readings of the works of some major thinkers immediately preceding or succeeding the French Revolution: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Sieyès, de Gouges, de Maistre, Constant, and Tocqueville.
It will
(1) introduce students to key concepts in modern politics such a freedom, equality, contract theory, and popular sovereignty;
(2) explore different interpretations of these ideas;
(3) analyse how they have evolved over time;
(4) provide a genealogy of major contemporary ideologies and projects, including radicalism, liberalism, feminism, and conservatism.
The module also shows the extent to which the French Revolution remains one of the great founding events of political and intellectual modernity, and reconstructs its impact
Assessment details
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One 1000 formative word essay (0%) and one 2000 word essay (100%)
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Educational aims & objectives
This module aims to:
- Introduce students to key texts and concepts in modern French political philosophy
- Develop the students’ understanding of the academic skills required to engage with political theory and philosophy
- Develop the students’ understanding of the interaction between French political thought, French history, and contemporary French and European politics
Critically evaluate key political ideas and ideologies such as liberalism, radicalism, conservatism, and feminism
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate the intellectual, transferable and practicable skills appropriate to a Level 4 module and in particular will be able to:
- Show the ability to critically engage with the key currents and debates in French political thought
- Critically engage with and evaluate political ideas and ideologies such as liberalism and radicalism
- Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the relationship between political ideas, their historical contexts, and their relevance to contemporary politics
- Understand aspects of change and continuity in French political thought
Transferrable Skills:
- By engaging with complex texts, students will develop their critical reasoning and analytical skills, including how to extract information from documents
- Through class discussions and evaluating their thoughts on the texts and concepts, students will develop advanced skills of argumentation and the ability to clearly and persuasively communicate their ideas
- By writing their essays, students will learn to construct coherent arguments drawing on interpretative engagements with the primary material