Introduction: How to use this booklet

Transcription

Introduction: How to use this booklet
The purpose of this booklet is to help you select your modules for Part II (the second and third
years). You will be able to choose your modules on line from 3rd May 2011 to 10th May 2011.
Instructions about how to access this system will be sent to you nearer the time. Although you will
be required to select your third year modules at the same time as selecting your second year
modules you will have the opportunity to change these choices next year. Current third years will
have the chance to choose again or confirm their options.
In order to select your modules you need to understand how the Part II structure works. At
Lancaster a degree is composed of 360 credits. 120 of these are used in the first year. In the second
and third years the remaining 240 credits must be used (120 in the second year and 120 in the third
year).
There are basically three kinds of modules in PPR. All of our second year modules are 30 credits. All
of our third year modules are 15 credits. Our dissertation module (PPR.399) is 30 credits.
Your degree scheme will either be a single major, a joint major, or a triple major. You will be
required to choose a number of options from the core lists for your major, and then you may
choose freely from anything on offer in PPR. The module descriptions should help you to decide
whether a module is suitable for you. If you are in any doubt ask the module convenor.
On all degree schemes students must choose a range of modules from the second year lists and a
range from the third year lists. On all degree schemes (except joint History majors) third year
students are allowed to choose one second year module as a part of their third year choices.
However, second years cannot choose third year modules. The dissertation is compulsory for all
single major students and is highly recommended for joint-majors students.
We try to deliver as many modules as possible. However, in any given year some members of staff
will be unavailable and so some modules might not run. In addition, we keep a few modules on our
lists so that we can vary the selection from year to year. Having said this, we try to keep as many of
our second year modules running as possible as both second and third years can select from this list.
If modules become available that are not currently listed as available we will advertise this via an
email announcement.
Page 2 presents a list of all the modules which are running in the department next year. On the core
lists (pages 5-7) we have indicated all the possible modules for that degree scheme but have
highlighted those which are running next year in bold. The reason for listing modules that are not
running next year is that they might be available in future years. Students currently choosing for
their second and third years should bear this in mind when making their selections.
Please note: This year our undergraduate programme has undergone a significant reform. Some
modules have changed their content and weighting, and others have simply changed their name. All
our modules now have the prefix PPR. Obviously simply because the name has changed does not
mean that you can repeat the module! As a result of this we have indicated some restrictions on
choices. In most cases the restrictions refer to modules with the prefixes of the former departments
(i.e. POLI, PCON, PHIL, R.ST, EPR). In a few cases the prefixes refer to existing PPR modules. You
cannot take modules that are either the same as previous modules or where there is substantial
overlap. Where choices are restricted this has been indicated at the top of the module description
with the restriction listed (e.g. students who have taken PHIL 213 cannot now take PPR.202).
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POLITICS, PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION
Part II modules available in 2011-2012
Second Year
Third Year
All modules are 30 credits and run across
Michaelmas and Lent.
All modules are 15 credits and run in either
Michaelmas or Lent (except PPR.359 and
PPR.399 which are 30 credits).
PPR.201
PPR.202
PPR.203
PPR.204
PPR.205
PPR.220
PPR.221
PPR.222
PPR.223
PPR.301 Aesthetics M
PPR.304 Themes in the Philosophy of the
Sciences L
PPR.305 Logic and Language M
PPR.307 History of Twentieth Century
Philosophy L
PPR.308 Moral, Legal and Political Philosophy
M
PPR.309 Practical Philosophy L
PPR.310 Philosophy of the Human Sciences L
PPR.320 Political Ideas: Liberal Thought L
PPR.321 Reading Political Theory L
PPR.324 The Politics of Global Danger M
PPR.325 International Political Economy of
Globalization M
PPR.328 Understanding External Intervention
in Violent Conflicts M
PPR.329 The History and Politics of Northern
Ireland M
PPR.332 United States Foreign Policy since
1945 L
PPR.333 Contemporary Issues in the Middle
East M
PPR.336 Africa and Global Politics L
PPR.338 Art, Museums, and International
Relations L
PPR.340 Islamic Politics L
PPR.350 Indian Religious and Philosophical
Thought M
PPR.352 New Religions and Alternative
Spiritualities M
PPR.354 Reading Buddhism L
PPR.359 Religion in Contemporary Indian
Life*S Vac
PPR.399 Dissertation*M & L
PPR.224
PPR.225
PPR.240
PPR.241
PPR.243
PPR.244
Key:
History of Philosophy
Ethics: Theory and Practice
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Mind
Knowledge and Reality
Modern Political Thought
International Relations and Security
Politics of Development
The United Kingdom: State, Politics
& Policy
Politics of the European Union
Introduction to Peace Studies
Traditions & Transformations I:
Asian Religions
Traditions & Transformations II:
Abrahamic Religions
Cross-Cultural Ethics
Western Philosophy and Religious
Thought
M = Michaelmas term only
L = Lent term only
M & L = Michaelmas and Lent terms
S Vac = Summer vacation
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Scheme of Study Specifications
Single Major
Students are required to take at least 180 credits in Part II. Usually this will be divided
evenly across years two and three.
All students will be required to take PPR.399 (the dissertation unit – 30 credits).
In the second year three modules must be chosen from the core list below (totalling 90
credits). The remaining module can be freely chosen from all second year modules in PPR.
In the third year the 90 credits will be composed by following one of the following options:
(1)
PPR.399, plus 4 half modules chosen from the core list (below). Remaining modules
may be freely chosen from across the range of third year modules in PPR.
(2)
PPR.399, plus 1 full module chosen from the second year core list (to be counted as a
third year module), plus 2 half modules from the third year list. Remaining modules
Joint Majors (except History joint majors)
All students will be encouraged to take PPR.399 (the dissertation unit) but this will not be
compulsory.
In the second year two modules must be chosen from the core list below (totalling 60
credits).
(1)
Four half units chosen from the core list.
(2)
PPR.399, plus 2 half modules chosen from the core list (below).
(3)
PPR.399, plus 1 full module chosen from the second year list (to be counted as a
third year module).
Triple Majors
Students are required to take at least 60 credits in Part II. There is no requirement for this
to be divided evenly across years two and three.
There is the option (but not requirement) to take PPR.399 (the dissertation unit).
In both years modules are chosen from the core list below.
VV56 Ethics, Philosophy and Religion
Students are required to take 240 credits in Part II. Usually this will be divided evenly across
years two and three.
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In the second year all students must take two of the following: PPR.202 Ethics: Theory and
Practice, PPR.242 Religion and Society, PPR.243 Cross-Cultural Ethics. The remaining two
modules must then be selected from the core list.
(1)
PPR.399, plus 4 half modules chosen from the core list (below). Remaining modules
(2)
PPR.399, plus 1 full module chosen from the second year core list (to be counted as a
third year module), plus 2 half modules from the third year list. Remaining modules
LL92
BA Hons Peace Studies and International Relations
Students are required to take 240 credits in Part II. Usually this will be divided evenly across
years two and three.
In the second year all students must take PPR.225 (Introduction to Peace Studies). The
remaining three modules must be chosen from the Politics and International Relations core
list below.
In the third year all students must take PPR.399 (Dissertation). In addition, students must
take at least four options from the Peace Studies and IR core list (below). The balance must
be made of options from the Politics and International Relations core list.
VL16 History Joint Majors
In the second year two modules must be chosen from the core list below (totalling 60
credits).
In the third year the 60 credits will be composed of one of the following options:
(1)
Four half units chosen from the core list.
(2)
PPR.399, plus 2 half modules chosen from the core list.
[There can be no option to take a second year module in the third year in Philosophy as this
is already a requirement in History].
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Core Options Lists
Politics core list
Politics and International Relations core list
Year-two core options
PPR.202
PPR.220
PPR.222
PPR.223
Politics of Development
The United Kingdom: State, Politics
and Policy
PPR.224 Politics of the European Union
PPR.225 Introduction to Peace Studies
PPR.221 International Relations and Security
PPR.222 Politics of Development
PPR.223 The United Kingdom: State, Politics
and Policy
Year-three core options
PPR.308
PPR.309
PPR.311
PPR.320
PPR.321
PPR.322
PPR.327
PPR.323 Ruling the World: Global
Governance and Legal Structures
PPR.324 The Politics of Global Danger
PPR.325 International Political Economy of
Globalization
PPR.326 Globalization and Transnational
Politics
PPR.327 Understanding the Internal
Dynamics of Peace Processes
in Violent Conflicts
PPR.330 Britain in the World
PPR.332 United States Foreign Policy Since
1945
East
PPR.334 The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the
Politics of the Middle East
PPR.335 War and Peace in the Balkans and
the Caucasus
PPR.336 Africa and Global Politics
PPR.337 Society and Politics of Latin America
PPR.338 Art, Museums, and International
Relations
PPR.340 Islamic Politics
PPR.328
PPR.329
PPR.330
PPR.332
PPR.333
PPR.334
PPR.335
PPR.336
PPR.337
PPR.340
PPR.341
PPR.353
PPR.357
Moral, Legal and Political Philosophy
Practical Philosophy
Applied Philosophy
Political Ideas: Liberal Thought
Reading Political Theory
Liberals and Communitarians
Understanding the Internal
Understanding External Intervention
The History and Politics of Northern
Ireland
Britain in the World
United States Foreign Policy Since
1945
Contemporary Issues in the Middle
East
The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the
War and Peace in the Balkans and
the Caucasus
Africa and Global Politics
Society and Politics of Latin America
Islamic Politics
Contemporary Issues in Human
Rights
Religion and Social Theory
Religion and Politics
PPR.391 Special Subject (M)
PPR.392 Special Subject (L)
PPR.399 Dissertation
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Philosophy core list
Religious Studies core list
PPR.201
PPR.202
PPR.203
PPR.204
PPR.205
PPR.220
PPR.243
PPR.244
PPR.202 Ethics: Theory and Practice
PPR.240 Traditions and Transformations I:
Asian Religions
PPR.241 Traditions and Transformations II:
Abrahamic Religions
PPR.242 Religion and Society
PPR.243 Cross-Cultural Ethics
PPR.244 Western Philosophy and Religious
Thought
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Mind
Knowledge and Reality
Thought
PPR.301
PPR.302
PPR.303
PPR.304
PPR.302
PPR.309
PPR.311
PPR.321
PPR.350
PPR.305
PPR.306
PPR.307
PPR.308
PPR.309
PPR.310
PPR.311
PPR.320
PPR.321
PPR.322
PPR.350
PPR.351
Aesthetics
Continental Philosophy
Issues in the Philosophy of Mind
Themes in the Philosophy of the
Sciences
Logic
Reading Philosophical Texts
History of Twentieth Century
Philosophy
Moral, Legal and Political Philosophy
Philosophy of the Human Sciences
Applied Philosophy
Political Ideas: Liberal Thought
Indian Religious Thought
Modern Religious and Atheistic
Thought
PPR.351
PPR.352
PPR.353
PPR.354
PPR.355
PPR.356
PPR.357
PPR.358
PPR.359
Continental Philosophy
Applied Philosophy
Indian Religious and Philosophical
Thought
Modern Religious and Atheistic
Thought
New Religions and Alternative
Spiritualities
Religion and Social Theory
Reading Buddhism
Reading Islam
Religion in Schools
Religion and Politics
Early Christianity
Religion in Contemporary Indian Life
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Ethics, Philosophy and Religion core list
PPR.357 Religion and Politics
PPR.359 Religion in Contemporary Indian Life
Two of the following options:
The remaining two modules must be chosen
from the list below:
Peace Studies and IR core list
PPR.201
PPR.202
PPR.220
PPR.225
PPR.240
PPR.241
PPR.242
PPR.243
PPR.244
Students must take:
Traditions and Transformations I:
Asian Religions
Traditions and Transformations II:
Abrahamic Religions
Religion and Society
Thought
The remaining options must be chosen from
the Politics and IR core list.
All students must take PPR.399. Students
must take at least four of the following
options:
PPR.329 The History and Politics of Northern
Ireland
PPR.332 United States Foreign Policy Since
1945
East
PPR.334 The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the
PPR.335 War and Peace in the Balkans and
the Caucasus
PPR.337 Society and Politics of Latin America
PPR.341 Contemporary Issues in Human
Rights
PPR.302 Continental Philosophy
PPR.307 History of Twentieth Century
Philosophy
PPR.309 Practical Philosophy
PPR.311 Applied Philosophy
PPR.320 Political Ideas: Liberal Thought
PPR.321 Reading Political Theory
PPR.322 Liberals and Communitarians
PPR.341 Contemporary Issues in Human
Rights
PPR.350 Indian Religious and Philosophical
Thought
PPR.351 Modern Religious and Atheistic
Thought
PPR.352 New Religions and Alternative
Spiritualities
PPR.353 Religion and Social Theory
PPR.356 Religion in Schools
The remaining options must be chosen from
the Politics and IR core list.
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MODULE DETAILS
Second year modules
All 30 credits each
PPR.201 History of Philosophy
Tutor:
Terms:
Tom Grimwood (Michaelmas) and Alison Stone (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Restriction: PHIL.211
Course Description:
Western philosophy has a long and rich history, and many of the questions
that occupy present-day philosophers have been around for hundreds or even thousands of years.
This module looks at some figures and debates from philosophy’s past. The exact make-up of the
course will vary from year to year, but themes may include:
• What is the nature of the mind? • How does it relate to the body? • What is the nature of
perception? • How does the mind make contact with the world around it? • What is the relation
between language and thought? • Can we have any reliable knowledge of the world outside our
minds? • Is there a God? • What is the relation between philosophy and its history?
These problems and others are studied by close consideration of a selection of texts from the history
of Western philosophy. This may include the ‘early modern’ period, i.e. the 17th and 18th centuries,
encompassing Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant. Figures from the
medieval period may sometimes be studied as may figures from 19th century philosophy such as
Hegel, Kierkegaard or Marx.
Learning Outcomes:
•
•
•
•
On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
Explain what is involved in most of the problems covered.
Set out some of the influential arguments that have been made in relation to each.
Relate these arguments to the philosophers of the period.
And begin an independent evaluation of them.
Assessment:
40% coursework and 60% exam.
Coursework: 2 essays of 2500 words each. Exam: 3 hours.
Teaching Method:
Lecture (1.5 hours) and seminar (1 hour) weekly.
Introductory Reading:
Scruton, R
Solomon, R & Higgins, K
A Short History of Modern Philosophy, Routledge 1995.
A Short History of Philosophy, Oxford University Press 1996.
8
Tutor:
Term:
Sam Clark (Michaelmas) and David Archard (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Course Description:
Restriction: PHIL213
This module will address central issues in ethics by means of several strands:
• The critical reading of classic texts in the history of the subject (such as Aristotle’s Nicomachean
Ethics, David Hume’s Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals; Immanuel Kant’s Groundwork
for the Metaphysics of Morals; or John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism);
• Selected topics in moral philosophy (such as the nature, strength and weakness of
consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics);
• Selected topics in meta-ethics (such as the ‘moral problem’, non-cognitivism, realism and quasirealism);
• Topics in applied and practical ethics (such as, issues in life and death in biomedical practice, the
ethics of war, and the ethics of the personal life).
Learning Outcomes:
• Explain in outline what is involved in ethical approaches to particular issues.
• Set out some of the influential arguments that have been developed and defended in respect of
these approaches.
• Acquire and apply critical reading skills.
• Write critically about philosophical debates on the topics covered.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
David Copp (ed.)
The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory (Oxford University Press, 2006)
Hugh LaFollette (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Practical Ethics ((Oxford University Press, 2006)
Marcia Baron, Philip Pettit and Michael Slote Three Methods of Ethics: A Debate (Blackwell, 1997)
Richard Norman
The Moral Philosophers 2nd ed (Oxford University Press, 1998)
Peter Singer (ed.)
Companion to Ethics (Blackwell, 1993)
9
PPR.203 Philosophy of Science
Tutor:
Term:
Brian Garvey (Michaelmas) and Garrath Williams (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Restrictions: PPR.310, PHIL 202
Course Description:
This course considers philosophical issues that arise in both the natural sciences (Michaelmas term)
and social sciences (Lent term).
With regard to the natural sciences, we will consider traditional accounts of scientific method and
theory-testing, then examine philosophical challenges to the status of science as a rational form of
enquiry. We give particular consideration to four of the most important twentieth-century
philosophers of science: Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos and Feyerabend.
With regard to the social sciences, we will ask whether endeavours such as sociology, economics,
anthropology and history should really be counted as sciences, and then consider some of the
special issues that arise in the study of human society. For example, how are we to understand other
societies (for instance, in anthropology)? What is the place for individualism versus collectivism in
social explanation (for example, in sociology and history)? What is the scientific status of social
models based on postulates of rational choice (for example, in economics and politics)?
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate familiarity with philosophical debates around the questions raised on the module.
 Engage critically with the arguments of major twentieth-century philosophers of science and
philosophical critics of science.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Alexander Bird
Alan Chalmers
Brian Fay
James Ladyman
Alan Ryan
Philosophy of Science (Routledge, 1998)
What is this thing called science? (Open University Press, 1999)
Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science (Oxford: Blackwell, 1996)
Understanding Philosophy of Science (Routledge, 2001)
The Philosophy of the Social Sciences (MacMillan, 1970)
10
PPR.204 Philosophy of Mind
Tutors:
Terms:
Nick Unwin and Brian Garvey (Michaelmas); and Rachel Cooper (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Restriction: PHIL 222
Course Description:
We start by examining issues in the metaphysics of mind. What is the
relation between mentality and life? How do mental states connect up with behaviour? Is the mind
really just the brain? Is the mind a kind of computer? Do we think in a ‘language of thought’? How
do our thoughts manage to reach out to reality and be about anything? Can we explain
consciousness? We then move on to epistemological issues: How can we gain knowledge of our own
mental states, or of other people’s? How should psychologists seek to investigate the mind? For the
most part, this course will be structured around contemporary texts.
Learning Outcomes:
 Outline and expand upon some of the main issues and theoretical positions in philosophy of
mind.
 Set out some of the influential argumentation that has been developed in relation to the various
issues and problems discussed in this module.
 Begin an independent evaluation of these problems and be in a position to make some progress
towards developing authoritative views of their own.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
W. Lyons
Matters of the Mind.
J. Searle
Minds, Brains and Science. Especially ch.1.
D. Dennett
Consciousness Explained.
11
PPR.205 Knowledge and Reality
Tutors:
Terms:
Neil Manson (Michaelmas) and Nick Unwin (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Course Description:
In this course we will discuss some of the most fundamental problems in
philosophy, problems about the nature of reality, our place in it, and our knowledge of it. We will
examine different theories of reality as well as the nature and sources of knowledge, truth,
justification, evidence, and reason.
The first half will be devoted primarily to metaphysical questions:
• Is reality entirely physical? • What are persons or selves? • Is it possible to give a naturalistic
explanation for the existence of the universe? • Can anything be said in favour of the idea that the
universe was created and designed by God? • What is the nature of space and time? • If no
objects existed would space still exist? • If nothing every happened would there still be time? • Is
time travel into the past possible?
In the second half we turn to epistemological matters:
• What is knowledge? • Do we have any? • Does knowledge require self-knowledge? • Does
knowledge rest upon "foundations"? • If so, what are they? • What is the role of trust in
knowledge? • Can we have a natural science of knowledge?
Learning Outcomes:
 Outline and expand upon some of the main issues and theoretical positions in epistemology and
metaphysics.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Michael J. Loux
Richard Taylor
Duncan Pritchard
Dan O’Brien
Metaphysics (Routledge 2002).
Metaphysics (Prentice-Hall 1983).
What is this thing called knowledge? (Routledge 2008).
An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge (Polity 2006).
12
PPR.220 Modern Political Thought
Tutors:
Terms:
Graham Smith (Michaelmas) and Patrick Bishop (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Restriction: POLI 204
Course Description:
This course explores a range of ideas which are central to any understanding
of politics focusing on four related themes: Liberty, the Individual, Equality, and Community. It
proceeds by reading and discussing some of the core-texts of modern political thinkers. The course
is divided into two sections over two terms. In the first term we will read, examine and discuss
thinkers who make a contribution to our understanding of the notions of liberty and the individual
(Hobbes, Locke, J S Mill, and Hayek). In the second term we will explore the thought of thinkers who
are associated with the ideas of equality and community (Rousseau, Marx, the Fabians, and Rawls).
Learning Outcomes:
 Have an understanding of the key ideas of the thinkers under review.
 Be able to assess the contribution that these thinkers have made to our wider understanding of
politics.
 Be able to recognise the relevance of these thinkers to our current political debates, and to be
able to employ their ideas within those debates.
 Evaluate the key features of an argument, be confident to express their own views, and evaluate
the responses of others.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Boucher D & Kelly P
Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present
Hampsher-Monk I
A History of Modern Political Thought: Major Political Thinkers from Hobbes
to Marx
McClelland J S
A History of Western Political Thought
13
PPR.221 International Relations and Security
Tutors:
Terms:
Mark Lacy (Michaelmas) and Christine Sylvester (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Course Description: The principal objective of this course is to provide a relatively comprehensive
and integrated foundation to the study of international relations by introducing students to its basic
conceptual vocabulary and theoretical concerns and by applying this conceptual knowledge to an
understanding of changes and developments in the international system.
The course covers the historical development of the discipline in the 20th century into the 21st
century, moving from the orthodoxy that has come to dominate mainstream Anglo-American
international relations (Realism and Liberalism) through to the various challenges that have emerged
from critical schools of thought. The course examines how different theories of international
relations illuminate and interrogate some of the central ethico-political problems of the
'international' in modern history.
Learning Outcomes:
• Demonstrate an understanding of the key positions in Security studies and International
Relations theories.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts employed in the debates on security and
international politics.
• To be able analyse and review the arguments of key thinkers in both verbal and written
assessment.
• Articulate their own position in relation to the thinkers and debates examined in the course.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Baylis J & Smith S
Burchill S & Linklater A
Dunne T
Weber C
The Globalisation of World Politics
Theories of International Relations
International Relations Theories
International Relations Theory: A critical introduction (2nd edition)
14
PPR.222 Politics of Development
Tutors:
Terms:
Ngai-Ling Sum (Michaelmas) and Julie Hearn (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Course Description:
This course introduces students to the main approaches to development. It
provides students with an overview of the main theoretical approaches, especially modernisation
theory, World Systems Analysis, feminist theories, and postcolonialism. It relates these theories to
issues and case studies from the South, including the debt question, the impact of globalisation,
global governance, corporate social responsibility, poverty and inequality, social movements and the
activities of NGOs.
The course comprises two interrelated parts. The first term deals with the main theoretical
approaches to development. The second term pursues the links between the conceptual issues
raised in term one and connects them to global- and national-focused perspectives on the politics of
development. These perspectives are illustrated by examples and cases drawn from Africa and Latin
America.
Learning Outcomes:
 Outline and analyze the different theoretical conceptions of ‘development’.
 Understand and examine the impact of globalization upon developing countries and its
unevenness.
 Understand and examine the roles of international organizations, multinational corporations, and
non-government organizations upon North-South relations.
 Apply these issues to cases and regions (e.g., Asia, Latin America and Africa) in the development
of North-South relations.
 Develop the capacity to think creatively about how to assess questions of national development,
globalization and north-south relations.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Workshop (2 hours) weekly.
Cammack P et al.
Elson D
Escobar A
Hoogvelt A
McMichael P
Peet R
Schuurman F (ed)
Slater David
Third World Politics (2nd edition)
Male Bias in the Development Process
Encountering Development: the Making and Unmaking of the Third World
Globalisation and the Postcolonial World (2 nd edition)
Development and Change: A Global Perspective (2nd edition)
Theories of Development
Beyond the Impasse: New Directions in Development Theory
Geopolitics and the Post-Colonial: Rethinking North-South Relations
15
PPR.223 The United Kingdom: State, Politics and Policy
Tutors:
Terms:
Mark Garnett
Michaelmas, Lent and Summer
Course Description: The course aims to deepen students' understanding of the major ideas,
arrangements, policies and controversies which have characterised post-war British politics.
The course examines the evolution of the politics of the United Kingdom from an era broadly
characterised by consensus and stability (1945-70) to one which has proved much more turbulent in
a variety of ways (1970 onwards). This examination is set within the context of rival political
traditions and of competing theories of representative government. Topics covered in the first term
include changes in electoral behaviour and developments in the political parties, as well as
consideration of the problems of governing the component parts of the United Kingdom (Scotland,
Wales, Northern Ireland). In the second term the focus is on the key institutions of central
government (Parliament and the executive) and on the UK's changing relationship with Europe. The
last part of the course examines the development of public policy in the areas of welfare and the
economy.
Learning Outcomes:
 Explain in detail a range of contrasting interpretations of major developments in UK politics since
1945;
 Evaluate the role of key institutions, such as parliament, the cabinet and the media;
 Understand the effects on UK politics of changes in the global context since 1945.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Lecture (1 hour) and seminar (1 hour) weekly.
Beer S H ,
Budge I et al,
Denver D,
Dunleavy P et al (eds),
Fisher J et al (eds),
Garnett M & Lynch P,
Richards D & Smith M,
Britain Against Itself: the Political Contradictions of Collectivism
The New British Politics
Elections and Voters in Britain
Developments in British Politics 8
Central Debates in British Politics
Exploring British Politics
Governance and Public Policy in the UK
16
Tutors:
Terms:
Robert Geyer (Michaelmas) and Basil Germond (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Course Description:
The course is intended to provide a comprehensive survey of the politics of
European Union, covering the origins of the EU, the principal institutions of the EU, the main policies
of the EU, and the main theoretical debates on the EU. Students will be expected to tie theories of
integration to the actual workings of the Union.
This course is designed as an introduction to the history and politics of European integration. It
begins with an introduction to the history of European integration and European integration theory
followed by explanation and evaluation of the role of EU institutions, particularly the Commission,
European Parliament, Council of Ministers and Court of Justice. The course then focuses on core
policy areas including: European Monetary Union, social policy and regional policy. It concludes with
an exploration of the evolving relationship between the EU and UK and explores how this
relationship impacts on UK national politics and policies.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate a general knowledge of the theories of integration and history of the European
Union
 Demonstrate a general knowledge of the main institutions and some of the core policies of the
European Union
 Demonstrate a general knowledge of the EU-UK relationship
 Critically evaluate the history, theories, institutions and policies of the European Union as well as
the EU-UK relationship and demonstrate these skills through written and examined work
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Dinan D
George S & Bache I
Laffin B
Lodge J (ed)
Nugent N
Swann D
Tsoukalis L (ed)
Ever Closer Union ? : An Introduction to the European Community
Politics and Policy in the European Community
Integration and Co-operation in Europe
Institutions and Policies of the European Community
The Government and Politics of the European Union
The Economics of the European Community
The European Community
17
Tutors:
Terms:
Feargal Cochrane, Nina Caspersen and Amalendu Misra
Michaelmas 2011 Lent 2012
Restriction: PCON 233
Course Description:
To investigate and critically examine the theoretical and practical issues
surrounding peace and violence within modern society. To examine the conditions of peace and war,
and assess the scope for conflict resolution, non-violence and reconciliation. To understand the main
approaches to peace studies and apply them to contemporary issues.
The first term introduces the main approaches within peace studies, exploring the development of
ideas in the field as they bear on the roots of violence and the understanding of peace and peacemaking. In the second term we apply this thinking to contemporary conflicts and focus on policies of
conflict prevention and conflict resolution. The course is taught in a non-dogmatic and
interdisciplinary manner, and students are encouraged to develop their own perspectives and come
to their own conclusions following discussion and debate throughout the year.
Learning Outcomes:




Demonstrate an understanding of the recent political history of the Balkans and the
Caucasus
Compare the two regions and identify key dynamics and underlying causes
Discuss competing views of the causes of conflict in the two regions
Critically examine attempts made at resolving the conflicts.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Lecture (1 hour) and workshop (1 hour) weekly.
The course is supported by online materials on the dedicated course website.
Axelrod R
The Evolution of Co-operation
Barash D
Cochrane F
Ending Wars
Jeong Ho-won
Peace and Conflict Studies: An Introduction
Lederach J P
Building Peace: Towards Sustainable Reconciliation
Miall HRamsbotham O & Woodhouse T
Contemporary Conflict Resolution
Misra A
Politics of Civil Wars
Rapoport A
'Introduction' to Clausewitz , On War (Penguin edition)
Smoker P
Reader in Peace Studies
Vayrynen R (ed)
The Quest for Peace
Wallensteen P (ed)
Peace Research: Achievements and Challenges
Walzer M
Just and Unjust Wars
18
PPR.240 Traditions and Transformations I: Asian Religions
Tutors:
Terms:
Brian Black (Michaelmas) and Hiroko Kawanami (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Restriction: R.St 201
Course Description:
This course presents the religious traditions of South and Southeast, and
East Asia in their traditional and contemporary manifestations, and discusses their respective
engagement with modernity. These religions are reviewed in the light of contemporary issues:
political power and religious authority, self and gender, community and development. The course is
designed for students entering Part Two and it parallels and complements PPR. 241. However, it is
also free-standing and may be taken as an independent unit.
Learning Outcomes:
 Make informed judgements and present their own views on certain key concepts in the past and
present of selected Asian religions.
 Articulate the differences and describe critically the transformations taking place in these
religious traditions through discussing the concepts of modernity, authority, gender,
development, and power.
 Demonstrate a developed awareness of the variety that exist in Asian religions as well as the
problems and potential of imposing Western categories in the study of these traditions.
 Have acquired a foundation for advanced study of Asian religions.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Lecture (2 hours) weekly, and seminar (1 hour) fortnightly.
I. Reader
Religion in Contemporary Japan
D. Smith
Hinduism and Modernity
D. Swearer
The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia
L. Woodhead et al (eds.) Religions in the Modern World
19
PPR.241 Traditions and Transformations II: Abrahamic Religions
Tutors:
Terms:
Christopher Partridge (Michaelmas) and Shuruq Naguib (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Course Description:
This course considers Christianity and Islam, two of the world's major
religions which belong to the so-called 'Abrahamic religions'. It can be thought of as a 'bridge', which
builds on knowledge acquired in RST 100, and provides a foundation for more specialised study in
other second and third year courses. The aim is to investigate the varied ways in which these two
traditions have responded to modernity, particularly in relation to authority, politics and gender.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate a developed knowledge of Christianity and Islam.
 Offer a critical account of what is meant by 'modernity'.
 Summarise the major transformations which have taken place in these two traditions in the
modern period, and relate these transformations to modernity.
 Describe Muslim and Christian key figures and movements in modern times.
 Analyse some of the most important ways in which the interpretation and use of the scriptures of
the two traditions studied has changed in modern times, and relate these changes to modernity.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
D. Waines
L. Woodhead & P. Heelas
An Introduction to Islam
Religion in Modern Times
20
Tutors:
Terms:
Andrew Dawson and Mairi Levitt
Not available 2011 - 2012
Course Description:
In the main, this course introduces the sociological study of religion. Two
major themes will run through the course: it will deal with selected key figures in the history of the
sociological study of religion and also tackle a selection of basic issues. Examples drawn from a range
of contexts will also be considered. Topics covered may include: Marx, Weber, Durkheim or others;
secularisation, definitions of religion, religious organisation, and so on.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts, topics and debates associated with the sociology of
religion.
 Demonstrate understanding of the methods (theoretical and practical) employed in the academic
study of religion in its social contexts.
 Use appropriate resources to formulate a coherent argument that takes account of divergent
opinions and their implications for the sociological study of religion.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
G. Davie
M. Hamilton
L. Kurtz
M. McGuire
R. O'Toole
The Sociology of Religion
The Sociology of Religion: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives
Gods in the Global Village: The World's Religions in Sociological Perspective
Religion: The Social Context
Religion: Classic Sociological Approaches
21
Tutors:
Terms:
Tom Grimwood (Michaelmas) and Shuruq Naguib (Lent)
Michaelmas and Lent
Course Description:
This course explores a number of central themes in ethics (both theoretical
and practical) within the context of a variety of religious traditions. It examines the ways in which
religious attitudes to ethical concern and practice are influenced by traditional, textual and cultural
factors before assessing specific ethical issues in the light of cross-cultural analysis. In 2009/10 the
perspectives of two traditions will be explored, namely: Islam and Christianity. Some of the ethical
concerns to be covered throughout the course are: Justice and War; Sex and Sexual practice; Rights
and Law; and Difference and Otherness.
Learning Outcomes:
 Describe, analyse and evaluate the ethical systems of two major traditions.
 Discuss and appraise the manner in which these ethical systems treat a number of concrete
ethical issues.
 Recognise, summarise and evaluate the way in which the ethical systems of these traditions
present and develop contending narratives of identity, life and purpose.
 Demonstrate intelligent and critical use of primary and secondary sources in written presentation
and articulate their own judgements of ethical decision making in oral and written form.
Assessment:
Coursework (learning logs in preparation for portfolio) and seen
examination paper constitute respectively 20% and 80% of the final
assessment.
Assessment:
20% coursework and 80% seen exam.
Coursework learning logs in preparation for portfolio.
Teaching Method:
W. Boulton, T. Kennedy & A. Verhey (eds)
From Christ to the World: Introductory Readings in
Christian Ethics
J. Brockopp
Islamic Ethics of Life
M. Fakri
Ethical Theories in Islam
E. Le Roy Long (1982) A Survey of Recent Christian Ethics
22
PPR.244 Western Philosophy and Religious Thought
Tutors:
Terms:
Gavin Hyman
Michaelmas and Lent
Course Description:
This course aims to encourage students to think philosophically about
religious issues. Using the work of both classical and contemporary philosophers and religious
thinkers, it addresses some of the central philosophical questions raised by religious belief. In
addition, students will be encouraged to think historically and contextually, in order to understand
the ways in which understandings of the role of philosophy in relation to religion in the west has
changed over time. The course introduces students to the work of some of the most important
philosophers from Plato to Wittgenstein and the implications of their thought for religion. It will also
address themes and issues which may vary from year to year but will be drawn from the following:
the nature of theism, immortality, the problem of evil, religious experience and the implications of
postmodern thought for religious belief.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate a thorough grounding in both historical and contemporary debates in philosophy
and religious thought.
 Use developed critical and philosophical skills in order to address some of these questions for
themselves.
 Think historically and contextually, showing an awareness of the implications of changing
contexts for philosophy and religious belief.
 Begin to reflect systematically and argue coherently about the fundamental philosophical issues
raised by religious belief.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
B. Davies
P. Sherry (ed.)
J.J.C. Smart & J. Haldane
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion
Philosophers on Religion
Atheism and Theism
23
Third year modules
All 15 credits each
PPR.301 Aesthetics
Tutor:
Term:
Alison Stone
Michaelmas
Course Description:
This module introduces central issues, problems and theories in
philosophical aesthetics by critically examining specific topics in the philosophy of art and by
examining the theories of major figures who have contributed to the tradition of philosophical
aesthetics. The course uses concrete examples from most of the arts, including painting, literature,
film, and music, to illuminate theoretical debates and issues.
Topics and major aesthetic theorists covered may include the following (note this list is indicative
and not all topics or theorists will be covered each year):
• Aesthetics in the analytic and continental traditions of philosophy • The aesthetic theories of
Plato, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, the Frankfurt School • Definitions of art •
What is tragedy and what is its aesthetic significance? • Beauty and its definition • The relations
between art, religion and philosophy • The connections between art and morality: Can or should
ethical evaluations affect aesthetic evaluations? • The changing historical context and
circumstances of art, including in the ancient world and in modernity • The ‘culture industry’ and its
impact on our responses to art • Can aesthetic judgements ever be objective? If so, how? •
Disinterestedness • The relations between aesthetics and politics: Should art be politically
committed? If so, in what ways?
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate a solid grasp of some central issues in philosophical aesthetics.
 Show understanding of how these issues are connected to other issues in philosophy.
 Be able to present this knowledge and understanding in a systematic written form.
Assessment:
Coursework: 1 essays of 3000 words. Exam: 2 hours.
Teaching Method:
Bowie, A.
From Romanticism to Critical Theory (Routledge 1997).
Cazeaux, C.
The Continental Aesthetics Reader (Routledge 2000).
Hammermeister, J.
The German Aesthetic Tradition (Cambridge University Press, 2002).
Lamarque, P. and S. H. Olsen (eds) Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art: The Analytic Tradition
(Blackwell 2003)
Neill, A. and A. Ridley (eds) Arguing about Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (Routledge
2001).
24
PPR.302 Continental Philosophy
Tutor:
Term:
Garrath Williams
Course Description:
This module focuses particularly on the work of key figures in 19th and 20th
century continental philosophy such as Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and
Foucault. The approach taken is philosophical rather than historical, and will involve close and
critical engagement with the texts. The course examines critically the arguments of these
continental philosophers about such questions as the nature of human consciousness, the existence
and nature of human freedom, the critique of morality and its relationship to power, and the
possibility of community.
Learning Outcomes:
• Explain in outline what is involved in (most of) the theories and perspectives of the philosophers
studied on the course.
• Set out some of the influential argumentation that has been developed in relation to each.
• Begin an independent evaluation of these views and arguments, and so make some progress
towards developing authoritative views of your own.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Critchley, S
Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2002).
West, D
An Introduction to Continental Philosophy (Polity Press, 1996).
25
PPR.303 Issues in the Philosophy of Mind
Tutor:
Term:
Rachel Cooper
Course Description:
This course will introduce students to some advanced topics in the philosophy of mind. Through the
debates examined students will be exposed to a number of methodological approaches in the
philosophy of mind - including the use of empirical evidence in philosophy, conceptual analysis,
ordinary language philosophy and thought experimentation. Topics examined will vary from year to
year but may include:

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

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




consciousness
understanding other minds
self-knowledge
emotions
understanding abnormal mental states
the self
perception
evolutionary psychology
animal minds, alien minds and computer minds
mental causation
Learning Outcomes:
• Outline and critically assess a number of debates in the philosophy of mind.
 Understand the uses of a variety of methods in philosophy.
 Develop their own philosophical arguments present philosophical ideas clearly both orally and in
writing.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Robert Kirk (2003) Mind and Body.
26
PPR.304 Themes in the Philosophy of the Sciences
Tutor:
Term:
Brian Garvey
Lent 2012
Course Description:
This module will examine philosophical issues that arise in connection with specific sciences, in
particular biology and medicine, as opposed to general philosophy of science. This will include such
topics as:
 Methodological issues in biology and medicine
 Issues of classification in biology and medicine – e.g. what is a species, what is a gene, what is a
disease?
 Issues to do with the relationship between these sciences and others, in particular the issue of
intertheoretic reduction, i.e. can biology be reduced to physics and chemistry?
 Radical critiques of mainstream biology and medicine, e.g. political critiques of sociobiology, the
anti-psychiatry movement.
 Historical issues in the development of these sciences.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate an understanding and ability to discuss key philosophical issues that arise from
biology and medicine.
 Demonstrate an ability to see what different scientific theories do and do not imply for broader
issues.
 Assess the relative merits of different arguments and critically engage with competing arguments
derived from academic literature.
 Take a more critical stance towards popular and semi-popular presentations of science and its
implications.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Arthur L. Caplan, James J. McCartney and Dominic A. Sisti, Health, Disease and Illness (Georgetown
University Press, 2004)
Rachel Cooper, Psychiatry and Philosophy of Science (Acumen, 2007)
Tim Lewens, Darwin (Routledge, 2007)
Kim Sterelny and Paul Griffiths, Sex and Death (University of Chicago Press, 1999)
27
PPR.305 Logic and Language
Tutor:
Term:
Nick Unwin
Michaelmas
Course Description: The module provides an introduction to formal logic together with an
examination of various philosophical issues that arise out of it. The syllabus includes a study of the
languages of propositional and quantificational logic, how to formalize key logical concepts within
them, and how to prove elementary results using formal techniques. Additional topics include
identity, definite descriptions, modal logic and its philosophical significance, and some criticisms of
classical logic.
Learning Outcomes:




Prove results using truth-tables and trees.
Translate English sentences into quantificational logic and vice versa.
Explain the philosophical significance of certain technical results.
Understand certain controversies that arise in logic, and present these ideas in an essay format.
Assessment:
Coursework: 2 in-class unseen tests and 2 essays of 1000 words.
Exam: 2 hours.
Teaching Method:
Peter Smith
An Introduction to Formal Logic (Cambridge University Press, 2003).
28
PPR.306 Reading Philosophical Texts
Tutor:
Term:
Nick Unwin
Course Description:
This course gives students the opportunity to read and study the
thought of seminal thinkers in the philosophy. In so doing we develop a more thorough
understanding of the ideas of the thinker in question, and see how those ideas link-up into a wider
systematic and philosophic whole. Possible works of philosophy include:
Aristotle
Hegel
David Hume
Kant
John Locke
J.S.Mill
Nietzsche
Nicomachean Ethics (Harmondsworth; New York: Penguin, 1976)
Phenomenology of Spirit (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977)
A Treatise of Human Nature (Oxford University Press, 1978)
Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002)
Essay Concerning Human Understanding (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1975)
On Liberty (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985)
Beyond Good and Evil (Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1973)
Learning Outcomes:
 A knowledge and understanding of the thinkers under review.
 An understanding and appreciation of the contribution to wider debates generated by those
thinkers.
 An appreciation of the benefits of a close and deep reading of a thinker.
 The ability to explain, discuss and reflect on the themes raised by the thinkers.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
29
PPR.307 History of Twentieth Century Philosophy
Tutor:
Term:
Neil Manson
Lent 2012
Course Description:
This module provides an introduction to some of the major philosophical
thinkers and issues of the last century. The focus will be primarily on the central developments in the
analytic tradition but may also offer examination of some of the key movements in continental
thought.
The course will generally include some or most of the following themes. Particular focus on certain
topics is likely to differ from year to year in which the course is available:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
British idealism: the philosophy of Bradley and Collingwood
Husserl and the phenomenological tradition
Sartre and existentialism
Frege: the revolution in logic and language
Russell and the early Wittgenstein
Logical positivism: Ayer, Carnap, the Vienna Circle
The later thought of Wittgenstein
The development of linguistic and conceptual analysis: Ryle, Quine, Austin, Strawson, Searle
More recent developments in realism, relativism, pragmatism: Kripke, Putnam, Rorty, Derrida
Learning Outcomes:
 Expound and critically assess the arguments and positions in Twentieth Century philosophy
introduced in this module.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
E.D. Klemke, ed., Contemporary Analytic and Linguistic Philosophies;
W.T. Jones and Robert Fogelin, The Twentieth Century to Quine and Derrida
T. Baldwin,
Contemporary Philosophy: Philosophy in English since 1945
Routledge
History of Philosophy vols. 9-10
R. Rorty,
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature
R. Kirk,
Relativism and Reality
30
Tutor:
Term:
David Archard
Michaelmas
Course Description:
This module will address central issues in contemporary ethical (including
meta-ethical), legal and political philosophy, and will allow a systematic critical exploration of the
connections between ideas and arguments in each of the three areas of the subject.
Topics covered will include some of the following: modern theory of moral motivation, value theory,
contractualism, the ‘moral problem’; responsibility and criminal liability, the justification of
punishment, the proper scope of the law; democratic theory, egalitarianism, justice, nationalism,
multiculturalism, liberty and human rights.
Learning Outcomes:
 Explain in outline what is involved in the different philosophical views and positions covered in
the module.
 Set out some of the influential arguments that have been developed and defended in respect of
these perspectives.
 Write critically about philosophical debates on the topics covered.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
R. Goodin and P. Pettit (eds.)
H.L.A. Hart
S. Scheffler (ed.)
M. Smith
M. Tebbit
W. Kymlicka
Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Anthology (Blackwell 1997)
Punishment and Responsibility (Oxford University Press 1968)
Consequentialism and its Critics (Oxford University Press 1988)
The Moral Problem (Wiley-Blackwell 1994)
Philosophy of Law: An Introduction, 2nd edition (Routledge 2005)
Contemporary Political Philosophy 2nd edition (Oxford University
Press 2002)
31
PPR.309 Practical Philosophy
Tutor:
Term:
Sam Clark
Lent 2012
Course Description:
Practical Philosophy starts from problems which any thoughtful person will
eventually raise for herself: How should I live? What do I owe to other people, and what to myself?
What are the goals, demands, and legitimate rewards of my job: doctor, soldier, journalist, manager,
bureaucrat, teacher, scientist, politician…? What should I do and be, as a citizen of a particular
country? or of the world? or as a parent, a lover, or a child? When should I rebel against these roles?
This course takes up these questions as they arise in a particular practical problem, field of
endeavor, or area of ethical concern. It uses philosophical and other literature, and the central
philosophical techniques of critical reading, rational argument, and consideration of strange
possibilities, to develop understanding, expand imagination, and work towards answers. The issue
pursued will vary from year to year, but may include: death, education, capitalism, war, and the
family.
The aim of the course is to develop philosophical skill, knowledge, and imagination which can be
applied to practical problems; the method of development is in-depth practice on a particular case,
via close reading and discussion of fairly demanding reading assignments.
In Lent 2012, the topic of this course is capitalism, the form of life which has transformed the world
over the last few hundred years and which deeply shapes how all humans now live. We will pursue
central concerns including freedom, property, work, equality, and the nature and conditions of
human flourishing. Our readings will include material by F. A. Hayek, John Locke, Amartya Sen, Henry
David Thoreau, Karl Marx, Max Weber, and William Morris, amongst others.
I haven’t decided the topic for Lent 2013 yet, so if you’re registering for then, please check the 2012
Handbook for details when it comes out.
Learning Outcomes:
 Describe and evaluate a range of philosophical views on selected practical philosophical topics,
and the reasons offered for and against them.
 Grasp the deeper questions about freedom, responsibility, well-being, etc., which underlie the
topic(s).
 Critically examine the application of philosophical concepts and skills to practical problems and
dilemmas.
Assessment:
1 essay of 5,000 words.
Teaching Method:
2 workshops (2 hours) one each at the start and end of term, and 1 seminar
(2 hours) weekly for the remaining eight weeks. In addition, there is an
optional essay-planning tutorial.
Introductory Reading for Lent 2012:
F. A. Hayek
The Constitution of Liberty (Routledge 1960)
William Morris
News From Nowhere (various edns)
Amartya Sen
Development as Freedom (Oxford University Press 1999)
Richard Sennett
The Craftsman (Penguin 2008)
Erik Olin Wright
Envisioning Real Utopias (Verso 2010)
32
PPR.310 Philosophy of the Human Sciences
Tutor:
Term:
Garrath Williams
Lent 2012
Restrictions: PPR.203, PHIL 202
Course Description:
This module considers key philosophical issues in the sciences of human
societies and social structures, such as sociology, economics or history. As well as considering
whether these subjects should be considered as sciences, strictly speaking, we look at a number of
philosophical issue, such as those arising in the understanding of other societies (for instance, in
anthropology), individualism versus collectivism in social explanation (for example, in sociology and
history), and the scientific status of social models based on postulates of rational choice (for
example, in economics and politics).
Learning Outcomes:
• Explain and critically assess some of the key debates and disputes in the philosophy of social
science.
• Appreciate the different views that can be taken in respect of the particular problems we will
have covered.
• Explain why different theories and methods may be appropriate to explain different phenomena.
• Understand and apply key philosophical concepts that are relevant to a range of problems in the
philosophy of social science.
• Write critically about the philosophical and methodological debates we have covered.
Assessment:
Coursework: 1 essay of 3000 words. Exam: 2 hours.
Teaching Method:
N.B.
Lectures for PPR.310 will be shared with PPR.203 this year.
It is important that you check the lecture times for PPR.203 and attend these lectures.
Alan Chalmers What is this thing called science? (Open University Press, 1999)
Brian Fay
Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science (Oxford: Blackwell, 1996)
Martin Hollis, The Philosophy of Social Science: An Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 1994)
Peter Winch
The Idea of a Social Science and its Relation to Philosophy (London: Routledge &
Kegan Paul, 1958)
33
PPR.311 Applied Philosophy
Tutor:
Term:
Neil Manson
Course Description:
This module focuses on selected topics in Applied Philosophy. Applied Philosophy involves the
application of philosophical methods and knowledge to a range of problems that face institutions,
professions, policymakers and regulatory bodies. Further questions arise about the nature and limits
of applied philosophy. Examples of topics that may be studied include:
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Philosophy of Privacy and Data Protection.
Philosophical Bioethics.
Philosophy of the Media.
Philosophy and psychiatric classification.
Applied epistemology.
Selected topics in Medical Ethics.
Philosophy of Education.
The Metaphilosophy of Applied Philosophy.
Applied Philosophy of Language.
Applied Philosophy of Science and Technology.
Learning Outcomes:
 Describe and evaluate a range of philosophical views on selected applied philosophical topics,
and the reasons offered for and against them.
 Engage in critical analysis and the assessment of arguments over a range of topics in applied
philosophy.
 Discuss the nature and limitations of applied philosophy.
 Grasp the deeper principles and issues which underlie the topic(s).
 Critically examine the application of philosophical concepts and skills to policy and institutional
problems and dilemmas.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Readings will be supplied according to specific topics studied.
Key Resource: The Journal of Applied Philosophy
34
PPR.320 Political Ideas: Liberal Thought
Tutor:
Term:
Patrick Bishop
Lent 2012
Course Description:
This course examines central themes in the liberal branch of contemporary
Anglo-American analytic political philosophy. The liberal positions on justice, liberty, equality, the
state, power, rights and utility are all explored. The approach is philosophical rather than applied; its
focus is on the ideas of liberal politics: how individual liberty can be maximised while not harming
others; how an individual philosophical position can guide political determinants of a society and
places the developments of liberal ideas in their appropriate historical contexts. The course also
examines the connection between the ideas of liberalism and the idea of democracy to explore the
philosophical tensions between the two and how these might be resolved. The course is a survey of
major topics and concepts in Anglo-American liberal political ideas. The syllabus will include the
following topics: Questions about Justice: Analytic philosophy and liberalism; Visions of the state:
Liberalism, Republicanism, Socialism; Liberty and individuality; Liberalism and democracy; Negative
and positive liberty; Equality; Utility and rights; Toleration and Multiculturalism: Responses to
diversity; Neutrality and the market: private property and public goods; Power: freedom or
oppression.
Learning Outcomes:
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



Identify the central themes in an argument.
Compare and contrast differing political arguments and assess their validity.
Demonstrate an ability to apply theory to empirical cases and problems.
Demonstrate an understanding of key concepts in liberal democratic political thought.
Demonstrate an understanding of how ideas influence and shape politics.
Be able to review and assess the major texts/thinkers under review demonstrated through verbal
and written assessment.
 Articulate their own position in relation to the thinkers/themes of the course.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Held D
Models of Democracy
Kymlicka W
Contemporary Political Philosophy
Goodin R E & Pettit P A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy
35
PPR.321 Reading Political Theory: Aristotle and Nietzsche
Tutor:
Term:
Graham M Smith
Lent 2012
Course Description:
This module gives students the opportunity to read and study the thought of
two of the seminal thinkers in political theory: Aristotle and Nietzsche. In so doing we develop a
more thorough understanding of the ideas of the thinker in question, and see how those ideas linkup into a wider systematic and philosophic whole.
Aristotle
Aristotle is often considered to be the founder of political science and first claimed that man is a
‘political animal’. In The Politics Aristotle offers a systematic account of the nature and potential of
political life, detailing arrangements for the household, property, slavery, citizenship, just and unjust
rule, and the preservation of constitutions. In so doing Aristotle answers the central questions of
political theory: who should rule and why; and who gets what and when.
Nietzsche
Although Nietzsche never produced a systematic work of political theory this does not mean that his
work is devoid of an account of the political. Endorsing the view that he was an ‘aristocratic radical’
Nietzsche offered an account of politics which saw a constant struggle for order and value.
Nietzsche’s great hope was to refashion society to aim for the production of higher types whose
health and vitality would give overcome the nihilism of European society after the ‘death of God’.
Learning Outcomes:
 A knowledge and understanding of the thinkers under review.
 An understanding and appreciation of the contribution to wider debates generated by those
thinkers.
 An appreciation of the benefits of a close and deep reading of a thinker.
 The ability to explain, discuss and reflect on the themes raised by the thinkers.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Aristotle
Roberts, J
Nietzsche
Ansell-Pearson
The Politics (Penguin Edition)
Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Aristotle and The Politics
Beyond Good and Evil (Penguin Edition)
An Introduction to Nietzsche as Political Thinker
36
PPR.322 Liberals and Communitarians
Tutor:
Term:
Graham M Smith/Patrick Bishop
Course Description:
This course examines the central debates about politics and justice between
liberals and communitarians in contemporary Anglo-American analytic philosophy. Whereas liberals
stress the importance of the individual and the need for them to pursue their own good in their own
way, communitarians stress the embedded, interconnected, and social nature of the persons and
politics. The course asks three major questions. First, what does it mean to be engaged in political
theory (how does thinking about politics illuminate our political practices, and what are the limits to
this activity)? Second, how should we understand the idea of justice (who gets what and why)?
Finally, what implications does our view of justice have for our political arrangements (what role
does politics have in the delivery of justice, and how would we have to modify our arrangements to
achieve justice)?
The course is divided into two main sections. First we concentrate on the central figure of this
debate: John Rawls and his seminal work A Theory of Justice. We then look at how the debate has
widened, initially by looking at the libertarian criticisms raised by Nozick before moving on to
consider the communitarian positions advanced by Sandel, Walzer, Okin, and Pateman. The course
ends by considering alternative forms of liberalism offered by Raz, Rorty, and Gray, which respond to
the communitarian critiques.
Learning Outcomes:






Identify the central themes in an argument.
Compare and contrast differing political arguments and assess their validity.
Demonstrate an ability to apply theory to empirical cases and problems.
Demonstrate an understanding of key concepts in liberal democratic political thought.
Demonstrate an understanding of how ideas influence and shape politics.
Be able to review and assess the major texts/thinkers under review demonstrated through verbal
and written assessment.
 Articulate their own position in relation to the thinkers/themes of the course.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Mulhall S & Swift A
Rawls J
A Theory of Justice (original edition)
37
PPR.323 Ruling the World
Tutor:
Term:
Christopher May
Course Description:
The principle objective of this module is to introduce students to the central
legal and organisational issues that underpin the political economy of contemporary global
governance, through the combination of historical and political economic approaches to the various
elements of the current international legal structure. The module is divided into four sections,
commencing with a brief exploration of the multifaceted pre-history and early history of
international political economic governance. In the second section of the course, the specific
political economic factors that prompted and facilitated the development of the contemporary
system of global governance are explored, and then in the third section this history is subjected to a
number of competing analyses. In the last section of the course, the focus shifts to current debates
about global governance, identifying key areas of current political economic debate and
contestation.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate knowledge of the legal and organisational issues that underpin the political
economy of contemporary global governance
 Explain and assess the current international legal structure.
 Evaluate competing analyses.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Ba A D & Hoffman M J (eds)
Fuchs D
Held D & McGrew A (eds)
Kennedy P
Monbiot G
Wilkinson R (ed)
Global Governance: Coherence, Contestation and World Order
Business Power in Global Governance
Governing Globalization
The Parliament of Man: The United Nations and the Quest for World
Government
Age of Consent
The Global Governance Reader
38
PPR.324 The Politics of Global Danger
Tutor:
Term:
Mark Lacy
Michaelmas
Course Description: What makes the world dangerous? Is global politics the extension of war by
other means? Do security policies inscribe peace with the logic of war? How has the RMA, and the
digital and molecular revolutions changed the ways in which we think about security and war? In
what ways have these revolutions made the world more rather than less dangerous? What happens
to security and war when these take the life of the human species rather than sovereign territoriality
as their referent object? How and why does securing life pose a wholly different security problem
from that of securing states? Why does securing life appear to increase rather than decrease global
danger? In the process of exploring these and related questions this course will introduce students
to the ways in which biopolitical dismodules of security and war differ from geostrategic dismodules
of security and war. The world is said to be dangerous in many changing and conflicting ways.
Dismodules of security and war teach us what to fear and prioritise danger differently. They
challenge how we think. Part One introduces students to ways of thinking about the
problematisation of security and war, including new approaches to understanding power. Part Two
applies these new perspectives to interrogate changes in the practices of security and war; especially
those introduced by the informationalisation of weapons and the weaponisation of information.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate an understanding of the key positions in critical security studies
 Demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts employed in the debate
 To be able analyse and review the arguments of key thinkers in both verbal and written
assessment
 Articulate their own position in relation to the thinkers and debates examined in the course
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Arquilla J & Ronfeldt D
Castells M
DeLanda M
Duffield ,
Edkins J & Zehfuss M
Foucault M
Foucault M
Mazarr M
Molander R C et al
Poster M
Virilio P
In Athena's Camp: Information Warfare
The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture
War in the Age of Intelligent Machines
Post-modern War
Global Politics
Society Must Be Defended
Security, Territory, Population
The Revolution in Military Affairs
Strategic Information Warfare
The Second Media Age
Pure War
39
PPR.325 International Political Economy of Globalization
Tutor:
Term:
Dr. Ngai-Ling Sum
Michaelmas
Course Description:
Globalization remains a buzzword in academic and policy discourses. It is
often related to the acceleration of global communication as well as internationalization of the
economic, political and social processes. This module addresses some of these changes especially
those related to trade, production and investment in the international political economy. There are
many approaches in understanding these changes, this module introduces students to both liberal
and critical ones (e.g., neo-Gramscianism). Drawing from their insights, it investigates and analyzes
the roles of state and non-state actors (e.g., transnational corporations and NGOs) in rebuilding the
governance of global production and finance. Finally, it examines the rise of transnational justice
movements in offering alternatives to globalization and its uneven development, before and after
the financial crisis of 2007.
Learning Outcomes:
 Describe and evaluate the different ways in which the 'economy' is defined and studied in
international politics.
 Identify and interpret a range of global processes that are reshaping international political
economy.
 Describe the rise of global economic actors (e.g., transnational corporations) and their impact as
political agents in the international political economy.
 Transfer these analytical skills to new phenonema (e.g., corporate social responsibility and global
financial crisis).
 Evaluate the uneven impact of these changes and locate counter-hegemonic politics in this
context.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Appelbaum R and Robinson W
Howard D
Peet R
Rupert M and Solomon S
Steger MB,
Critical Globalization Studies
The Financial Crisis
Geography of Power
Globalization and International Political Economy,
Globalism: the New Market Ideology
40
PPR.326 Globalization and Transnational Politics
Tutor:
Term:
Dr. Ngai-Ling Sum
Course Description:
Globalization is often related to increased connectivity and integration in
economy, politics, culture, and people in diasporas. Drawing from liberal and critical theories on
globalization, this module first examines the rise of the neoliberal world order under the
'Washington Consensus', which mobilizes state and non-state actors (e.g., transnational corporations
and NGOs) to rebuild the global economy. These changes have an uneven impact on class, ethnic
and gender relations and have prompted the emergence of counter-hegemonic movements such as
the Global Justice Movement and the World Social Forum. The rise of transnational political
mobilization also involves migration. Uprooted migrants are increasingly organized through
transnational diasporic networks that are engaged in both: a) hostland politics of citizenship and
racism; and b) homeland politics of memory and transformation. One specific focus of this module is
the rise of transnational and home-grown Jihadists along with the growth of far-right politics and
'racial supremacism' in and beyond Europe.
Learning Outcomes:
 Understand and appreciate the emergence of the 'transnational' scale as a new area of political
studies.
 Critically analyse key concepts and approaches that have framed debates on the complex
relations between different dimensions of globalization and the rise of transnational politics.
 Apply these concepts and approaches to selected recent examples of transnational social
movements and solidarity politics in relation to economic globalization in general.
 Understand the relevance of these theoretical perspectives to interpreting recent and current
phenonema linked specifically to the politics of migration (e.g., rise of transnational diasporic
networks and Jihadist politics).
 Define and contrast religious fundamentalism and racial supremacism, identify key tensions
between them, and explore their impact in contemporary politics.
 Critically evaluate the transformative potential of suggested alternatives to these transnational
forms of 'extremist politics'.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Amoore L (ed.)
Appelbaum R, and Robinson W
Castles, S
Young R
Ellinas J
Global Resistance Reader
Critical Globalization Studies
Ethnicity and Globalization
Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction
The Media and the Far Right in Western Europe: Playing the
Nationalist Card
41
PPR.327 Understanding the Internal Dynamics of Peace Processes
Tutor:
Term:
Feargal Cochrane
Course Description:
The course is intended to give students an understanding of theories of
conflict resolution, an appreciation of the practical and ethical difficulties of peace making in
protracted conflicts, and an opportunity to develop an in-depth analysis of contemporary peace
processes, both in specific conflicts and comparatively. By the end of the course students should
have a firm grasp of the main conceptual approaches to conflict and conflict resolution, and an
understanding of how these apply to contemporary cases. They will also be introduced to the skills
of mediation and negotiation.
This is a 10 week module which is taught in Michaelmas term only. Starting from a conceptual
appreciation of the varieties and functions of conflict, the course will consider the stages in the
development of conflict, from origins to termination, and the importance of social and international
context. The course will focus on the key concepts of violence and peace as experienced in
contemporary ethnic conflicts, such as Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine and South Africa among
others. The course aims to provide students with an in-depth understanding of what 'peace
processes' are, why they begin, why they break down and aims to give an appreciation of conflict
management techniques such as mediation, negotiation and settlement.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate through verbal discussion, written coursework and examinations, the range of
conceptual debates surrounding the termination of political violence and the dynamics of
negotiations and peace settlements
 Demonstrate, through classroom participation and written work, knowledge of the key stages in
conflict termination and in particular, the connection between the various stages in that process
from negotiation, settlement and post-conflict implementation.
 Be able to critically examine comparative examples in the analysis of issues such as structural
violence; ripe moment theory; mediation; the role of ‘spoilers’ in emerging peace processes; and
the dynamics of negotiations.
 Demonstrate an ability to apply theory to empirical cases.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
1 workshop (2 hours) weekly.
Cochrane F
Darby J & MacGinty R (eds)
Knox C & Quirk P
Ending Wars
Contemporary Peacemaking: conflict, violence and peace processes
Peace building in Northern Ireland, Israel and South Africa:
transition, transformation and reconciliation
Lederach J P
Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation across Cultures
Miall H, Ramsbotham O & Woodhouse T
Contemporary Conflict Resolution
Zartman I W O
Elusive Peace
42
PPR.328 Understanding External Intervention in Violent Conflicts
Tutor:
Term:
Nina Caspersen
Michaelmas
Course Description:
This module will examine the politics of external intervention in violent
political conflicts and the attempts made to manage, prevent and transform these wars into more
peaceful situations. The course aims to develop student understanding of how international
organisations have attempted to intervene within conflict zones to prevent an escalation in conflict,
to enforce UN resolutions or to assist externally mediated peace 'settlements'. The module also aims
to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of how violent conflict has changed since the end of
the Cold War and how transnational organisations such as the EU, UN and NATO have attempted to
deal with the new challenges and opportunities presented since the beginning of the 1990s until the
present day. Conceptually, the course will examine the principles of the liberal peace; state failure;
international conflict prevention; peace keeping; and global governance. Empirically, the course will
focus on post Cold War conflicts such as Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Learning Outcomes:
 Be able to demonstrate through verbal discussion, written coursework and examinations, the
different ways in which external third parties and in particular transnational organisations such as
the UN, NATO and the World Bank have responded to changing patterns of violent conflict since
the end of the Cold War.
 Demonstrate, through classroom participation and written work, an understanding of the
concept and practice of international conflict prevention, peace-keeping and peace-enforcement
operations and norms such as ‘conditionality’ ‘responsibility to protect’ and ‘international peace
and security’.
 Demonstrate through classroom participation and written work, an understanding of the
complex relationship between conflict actors engaged in warfare and external agencies who seek
to intervene within such regions, diplomatically, militarily or to provide humanitarian relief to the
victims of violence.
 Be able to critically examine, through written course work, comparative examples in the analysis
of issues such as peace-keeping; post-conflict reconstruction; global governance and the impact
of the media on international engagement within violent conflicts.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Brown M E
The International Dimensions of Internal Conflict
Cochrane F
Ending Wars
Hauss C
International Conflict Resolution
Kaldor M
New and old wars: organised violence in a global era
Rogers P
A War On Terror: Afghanistan and after
Weiss T
Humanitarian Intervention
43
PPR.329 The History and Politics of Northern Ireland
Tutor:
Term:
Feargal Cochrane
Michaelmas
Course Description:
This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the historical
development and recent political history of Northern Ireland. The module will offer students the
opportunity to learn about the way in which history and politics have been connected in the region,
why Northern Ireland was created and why political power was devolved from Westminster in 1921.
The module also aims to provide the opportunity for students to learn how the political system
functioned and failed to function from 1921 onwards and how this period led to the emergence of
violent political conflict in the 1960s. The course will cover the political conflict from 1969 and
formation of paramilitary groups as well as British policy in the region and eventual emergence of a
peace process during the 1990s.
This is a 10 week module which is taught in Michaelmas term only. The course is taught in a
workshop format with a 2 hour session every week. The syllabus is structured in a way that
introduces students to the historical background to the creation of Northern Ireland and the
emergence of the unionist and nationalist communities. It then looks at the political breakdown and
emergence of violence in the 1960s and British security policies. Finally, the course looks at the
emergence of the 'peace process' and the terms of political settlement in the region from the 1990s
to the present day.
Learning Outcomes:
 Compare and contrast past and present developments in the political history of Northern Ireland.
 Demonstrate an understanding of the history and politics of Northern Ireland through written
course work, summer examinations and classroom participation.
 Compare conflicting interpretations of the political conflict and peace process in the region (e.g.
nationalist, unionist, British/Irish governments etc).
 Critically examine the various attempts made to control and resolve political conflict in Northern
Ireland, through written course work.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Arthur P
Bew P & Gillespie G
Darby J
Hennessey T
Mitchell P & Wilford R
O'Leary B & McGarry J
Government and Politics of Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Peace Process 1993-1996
Scorpions in a Bottle: conflicting cultures in Northern Ireland
A History of Northern Ireland
Politics in Northern Ireland
The Politics of Antagonism: understanding Northern Ireland
44
Tutor: TBC
Term: Not available 2011 - 2012
Course description:
This course presents a detailed analysis of the major developments in British
foreign policy since 1945. It explains these developments within a global context, offering rival
interpretations of Britain’s changing role and status. The major themes include: the consequences of
Britain’s participation in the Second World War; the retreat from Empire after 1945; the ‘special
relationship’ with the United States; and the prolonged attempt to redefine Britain’s global role in
the context of perceived economic and geopolitical decline. In this context, comparisons are drawn
between the British experience since 1945 and the decline of earlier world powers.
Learning Outcomes:




Explain the major interpretations of British foreign policy since 1945.
Understand British foreign policy within a rapidly changing global context.
Analyse the foreign policy making process in Britain.
Compare the British experience to that of world powers of the past.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
.
Introductory reading:
Dumbrell, J A Special Relationship (Palgrave Macmillan)
Gamble, A
Between Europe and America (Palgrave Macmillan)
Kennedy, P
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (Fontana)
Reynolds, D
Britannia Overruled (Longman)
Wallace, W
The Foreign Policy Process in Britain (Allen & Unwin)
45
PPR.332 United States Foreign Policy Since 1945
Tutor:
Term:
Mark Garnett
Lent 2012
Course Description:
The course examines the structure of the US foreign policy making process
and explores major themes in the development of American foreign policy since 1945. The course
starts with an overview of the foreign policy making process, looking in particular at the Presidency,
Congress and the National Security Council, and the way in which relationships between them have
developed over the past fifty years. We then go on to look at the conduct of foreign policy since
1945, focusing on: the origins and early development of the Cold War; the 'loss' of China and US
involvement in Korea and Vietnam; the Cuban missile crisis, Détente and the SALT process; US
involvement in the Middle East and Iran; the Carter and Reagan presidencies and the 'second cold
war'. We end by considering the changing role of the United States in the international arena
following the ending of the Cold War.
Learning Outcomes:
 Show a detailed analytical understanding of the main developments in US Foreign Policy since
1945.
 Explain the institutional background to the making of US Foreign Policy.
 Interpret US Foreign Policy in the context of a variety of International Relations theories.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Ambrose S
Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy since 1938
Bill J A
The Eagle and the Lion
Daalder I & Lindsay J M America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy
Gaddis J L
Strategies of Containment
Garthoff R L
Détente and Confrontation: American-Soviet Relations from Nixon to Reagan
Garthoff R L
The Great Transition: American-Soviet Relations and the End of the Cold War
Halberstam D War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton and the Generals
Halliday F
The Making of the Second Cold War
Herring G C
America 's Longest War: the United States and Vietnam 1950-1975
Johnson L
America's Secret Power
Kegley C W & Wittkopf E R
American Foreign Policy: Pattern and Process
Nathan J A & Oliver J K
US Foreign Policy and World Order
Quandt W B, Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict since 1967
46
PPR.333 Contemporary Issues in the Middle East
Tutor:
Term:
TBC
Michaelmas
Course Description:
This course introduces students to key issues in Middle East politics today. It
explores the people, society and politics of the region and the role that religion, ethnicity, gender
and class have played in shaping contemporary issues. It examines the major internal and external
actors in the region; conflict and peace; the geo-strategic importance of the region; issues of political
economy; political change and reform; the issue of identities in the Middle East and ideologies
around this; the emergence of political Islam; rising anti-Americanism; 9/11 and the fall-out in the
region from the 'war on terror'.
The first week of term introduces students to the people, society and politics of the Middle East. The
first half of the term then examines issues around religion, ethnicity, gender and class; internal and
external actors in the region; politics of identity and issues of political economies. In the second half
of the term students explore issues of democracy, political Islam, issues around conflict and peace
and the post-9/11 landscape.
Learning Outcomes:
 Show a detailed analytical understanding of the main developments in the Middle East.
 Explain the relationship between the major actors.
 Evaluate the various approaches to understanding the issues raised by the Middle East.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Fawcett L (ed)
International Relations of the Middle East
Gerner D & Schwedler J (eds) Understanding the Contemporary Middle East (2nd edition)
47
PPR.334 The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the Politics of the Middle East
Tutor:
Term:
TBC
Course Description: This course introduces students to politics of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the
major issues, moments and actors in the key states in the Middle East. The course commences by
introducing the region broadly in terms of geography, demography, history and religion. We then
turn to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the question of Palestine, where the course endeavours to
provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict - its origins,
evolution and possibilities for peaceful resolution. The course then focuses on the emergence of key
states and actors in the region, covering the history and politics of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, the Gulf
States, Iran and Iraq. Throughout the term watershed moments in the region such as the Iranian
Revolution, the Lebanese civil war and the Gulf Wars (Iran/Iraq, Iraq/Kuwait) are examined. We also
examine more recent events up to the contemporary situation. These include: the events of 9/11,
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2006 Israel/Hezbollah war and the 2008 Gaza conflict.
Learning Outcomes:
 Show a detailed analytical understanding of the main developments in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
 Explain the relationship between the major actors.
 Evaluate the various approaches to understanding the issues raised by the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Cleveland W
Milton-Edwards B & Hinchcliffe P
A History of the Modern Middle East
Conflicts in the Middle East since 1945
(available as an e-book through Lancaster library)
48
PPR.335 War and Peace in the Balkans and the Caucasus
Tutor:
Term:
Nina Caspersen
Course Description: This course aims to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the recent
political history of the Balkans and the Caucasus as well as an understanding of some of the central
dynamics underlying these developments. The Balkans was a test case for international intervention
in the post-cold war era and the region continues to be of importance for European security and EU
enlargement, especially after Kosovo's recent recognition. The war in Georgia in August 2008
resulted in renewed international interest in the Caucasus and the region is likely to feature
increasingly on the international agenda in the years to come due to EU/NATO expansion,
superpower involvement, and the persistence of unresolved ethnic conflicts. The course will be
accessible to all students, whether they are new to the topic or not. It analyses the factors that led
to the outbreak of war in the two regions in the last two decades (in Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo,
Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Chechnya); it examines the attempts that have
been made to solve these conflicts; and discusses the challenges, and opportunities, facing the
Balkans and the Caucasus in the future. Michaelmas term will focus on the recent history of the
Balkans and the Caucasus, the outbreak of conflict and war and the international attempts at conflict
resolution. We will first examine the challenges faced after communism and discuss what made the
two regions so susceptible to conflict. We will then proceed to analyse the conflicts and wars: the
causes of violence and the, mostly failed, attempts to reach a solution. Lent term will have a more
thematic approach and will cover issues such as: problems of transition, identity and war,
international intervention, failed states, unrecognised states, democratisation and Europeanization.
Learning Outcomes:
• Demonstrate knowledge of, and intellectual engagement with, a range of thoughts on peace and
war.
• Outline and explain competing theories of the causes of violence and paths to peace.
• Discuss and evaluate these theories with reference to contemporary cases of armed conflict.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Bieber F
Hughes J & Sasse G
Kaufman S
King C,
Woodward S
Post-War Bosnia : Ethnicity, Inequality and Public Sector Governance
Ethnicity and Territory in the Former Soviet Union
Modern Hatreds : The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War
The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus
Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and dissolution after the Cold War
49
Tutor:
Term:
Julie Hearn
Lent 2012
Course Description: African states are among the poorest, most artificial in the world. This means
their relations with the global system have a critical impact on African politics from the global to the
local level. The course has three main aims.
• To provide an overview of the major issues facing Africa in the global system since independence,
such as the debt crisis, poverty reduction strategies and aid relations.
• To introduce and assess alternative approaches to the study of the subject, through the analysis
of particular issues facing African states, such as the nature of civil society, democratization both
from above and below and the role of NGOs.
• To contribute one perspective to an overall understanding of the new structure of the global
system in the twenty-first century.
This course provides a historical and thematic introduction to the issues facing Africa in the
international system today. The course is divided into four sections. The first section focuses on the
impact of colonialism on shaping the economy, the state and perceptions of race. The second
section examines the first four decades of independence. The third and fourth sections look at key
contemporary issues such as HIV/AIDS and actors such as China and South Africa.
Learning Outcomes:
• Demonstrate knowledge of key contemporary themes in African politics such as the impact of
Chinese investment and trade.
• Place these developments within the continent’s history including the Atlantic Slave Trade and
European colonialism and its outsider representations of African reality.
• Outline and analyze different theoretical and empirical perspectives to understand the role of
NGOs, the state and citizens in poverty alleviation, for example.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Clapham C
Africa and the International System
Engel U & Olsen G
Africa and the North: Between Globalization and Marginalization
Fanon F
The Wretched of the Earth
Freund B
The Making of Contemporary Africa (2nd edition)
Harrison G
Issues in the Contemporary Politics of Sub- Saharan Africa
Rodney W
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa
Taylor I & Williams P Africa in International Politics: External Involvement on the Continent
Zack-Williams T & Frost D (eds) Africa in Crisis
50
PPR.337 Society and Politics in Latin America
Tutor:
Term:
Julie Hearn and Amalendu Misra
Course Description:
This module is interdisciplinary in nature, in the sense that it includes several
approaches to study the Society and Politics in Latin America. It is designed on thematic issues that
bind all the 21 member nations of the Latin America in one form or another. The primary aim of this
module is to introduce students to an understudied region in the world. This is done through
introducing them to various themes in Latin American Politics. This module is designed for students,
who have already had some grounding on politics of development, conflict and peace, religion and
culture and also aimed at those who wish to develop an area studies specialisation in their
intellectual quest.
Learning Outcomes:








Appreciate the dynamics of Latin American Politics and society.
Evaluate its position in contemporary international politics.
Engage with practical contemporary topics such as democracy, development, migration and such.
Articulate and defend their own views on key thematic issues that bind Latin America member
nations.
Understand, assess, and critically engage with, key concepts and intellectual debates derived
from the literature.
Express and argue their own views.
Pursue intellectual questions in a rigorous and academic manner, employing analytical skills and
critical thinking.
Communicate ideas to others in a clear and concise manner through presentation skills including
oral and written work.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Auyero, J.
Poor People’s Politics: Peronist Survival Networks and the Legacy of Evita
(Durham: Duke University Press 2001)
Barrett, P. Et al (eds) The New Latin American Left: Utopia Reborn (London: Pluto Press 2008)
Crabtree, J. & Whitehead, L. (eds)
Unresolved Tensions: Bolivia Past and Present (Pittsburgh:
University of Pittsburgh 2008)
Galeano, E. (1973)
Open Veins of Latin America (New York: Monthly Review Press 1973)
51
PPR.338 Art, Museums, and International Relations
Tutor:
Term:
Christine Sylvester
Lent 2012
Course Description:
In this module, the “art of international relations” is taken seriously as a
starting point for investigating art and art museums as part of way of the political world of the
international. Learning takes place mostly through the cases of museum histories and politics that
put museums into international roles they may or may not seek directly. This way of studying
international relations throws new light on the events and preoccupations of international relations
as a field, including competition, power, gender politics, race, class, war, and development. Some of
these topics, with illustrative examples, are as follows:
 Museums as institutions of nation-building and international relations (British Museum, Louvre,
Smithsonian).
 Acquiring art for the nation through colonial conquest, looting, theft, and purchases that may or
may not be legal (British Museum, National Gallery London, Smithsonian).
 Art ownership debates (cosmopolitan heritage of mankind or of a region versus cultural
patrimonial views upholding claims for restitution or sharing of art).
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate an understanding of the history of the art museum and the political roles it has had
in nation-building and in the international politics of wars, development, diplomacy and other
topic areas relevant to international relations.
 Develop a nuanced understanding of major art museums as soft power actors in international
relations.
 Recognise the power of artworks and architectures to signify positive group identity and inflame
those who wish to change identity patterns by changing politics (e.g., the Taliban destroying the
Bamiyan Buddhas, the Nazi condemnation of modern art).
 Recognise race, class, and gender issues around who has been included and excluded from
collecting politics of museums.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Kwame Anthony Appiah
Stephanie Barron
Matthew Bogdans
Cosmopolitan: Ethics in a World of Strangers 2006.
“1937: Modern Art and Politics in Prewar Germany” in Degenerate
Art: The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany 1992.
Thieves of Baghdad 2005.
52
Tutor:
Term:
Amalendu Misra
Lent 2012
Course Description:
The aim of this module is to introduce students in the inner dynamics of
political Islam and the attendant challenges that comes with it. It is a module designed as much for
students with little or no background in Islamic Politics, as it is for students who already have some
grounding. This module is built around an examination of the principal debates, features, and
manifestations of Islamic politics in the twentieth century.
Learning Outcomes:






Appreciate the dynamics of political Islam in contemporary international society.
Understand the working of Islam in the governing process.
Evaluate its position in contemporary international order.
Engage with practical contemporary topics such as governance, violence, terrorism and such.
Demonstrate an understanding of key concepts and intellectual debates.
Pursue intellectual questions in a rigorous and academic manner, employing analytical skills and
official thinking.
 Communicate ideas to others in a clear and concise manner through presentation skills including
oral and written work.
 Demonstrate written presentation skills.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Ayubi, N.
Political Islam Religion and Politics in the Arab World (London: Routledge
1991)
Barber, Benjamin
Jihad vs. McWorld (New York: Ballentine Books 1996)
Dawood, N.J. (trans.) The Koran (Harmondsworth: Penguin 1959)
Donnan, Hastings (ed.) Interpreting Islam (London: Sage 2002)
53
PPR.350 Indian Religious and Philosophical Thought
Tutor:
Term:
Brian Black
Michaelmas
Restriction: RSt.252
Course Description:
This course will introduce major themes and issues in Indian philosophy,
focusing on the Hindu and Buddhist philosophical traditions. Beginning with philosophical sections in
the Upanishads and the dialogues of the Buddha, the course will trace the development of Indian
philosophy from the early to the classical periods. We will cover various ethical, metaphysical, and
epistemological concepts, such as: order and virtue (dharma), consequential action (karma),
ultimate reality (brahman), the nature of the self (atman), the highest good (moksha), and the
means for attaining knowledge (pramana). Throughout we will look at the dialogical relationship
between the Hindu and Buddhist philosophical traditions, particularly the shared practice of debate.
Learning Outcomes:
 Show acquaintance with the broad historical and systematic features of Indian philosophy of
religion.
 Have read and discussed issues central to the intellectual culture of ancient and classical Indian
religion.
 Acquired a foundation that will enable study of Hindu and Buddhist philosophical traditions at
more advanced levels
 Demonstrate that they have gained knowledge of comparative issues in Western Philosophy of
Religion.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
B.K. Matilal
Logical and Ethical Issues of Religious Belief.
54
PPR.351 Modern Religious and Atheistic Thought
Tutor:
Term:
Gavin Hyman
Course Description:
The aim of this course is to examine and evaluate some of the most central
issues in Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment Western religious and atheistic philosophical
debates. After preliminary consideration of what is meant by 'modernity', 'religion' and 'atheism',
the course provides an introduction to the thought of some central Enlightenment thinkers, both
theistic and atheistic, and the implications of their thought for religious questions. It then looks at
some challenging themes and issues, such as the problems of religious and cultural pluralism; the
challenge of moral relativism, the 'death of God' and the emergence of various forms of 'Christian
atheism'. Finally, brief consideration is given to postmodern critiques of modernity and the
Enlightenment.
Learning Outcomes:
 Identify, explain and evaluate the modern framework in which religious and atheistic debate has
taken place.
 Describe and criticise the thought of some major theistic and atheistic thinkers.
 Critically assess a number of theoretical approaches to the questions of the Existence of God;.
 Have developed an ability to engage with major primary and secondary texts in oral presentation
and written assignment.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
M.J. Buckley
At the Origins of Modern Atheism
J. Byrne:
Glory, Jest and Riddle: Religious Thought In the Enlightenment
W.C. Placher: The Domestication of Transcendence: How Modern Thinking about God Went Wrong
M.C. Taylor (ed.) Critical Terms for Religious Studies
55
PPR.352 New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities
Tutor:
Term:
Christopher Partridge
Michaelmas
Course Description:
Institutionalized religion is in decline, both in Britain and in northern Europe
as a whole. But a great deal is happening 'beyond church and chapel'. The course explores what is
taking place in this territory. Is Christianity holding its own among those who do not go to church?
Or are 'new' experiential and 'gently' institutionalized spiritualities of life a growing force? Special
attention is paid to the role played by 'new spiritual outlets' (NSOS), as well as the role played by the
better known new religious movements (NRMS). Students will be encouraged to exercise initiative by
incorporating case study research in their essay.
Learning Outcomes:
 You will be provided with the opportunity to become knowledgeable about new spiritualities of
life, organized both as NSOS and as NRMS.
 Acquire knowledge from secondary literature, case study research, or both.
 Apply theories - drawn from the sociology of religion as well as more general socio-cultural
theorizing - to explain the development and operation of new spiritualities of life.
 Demonstrate learning and critically reflect on debates concerning how religion/spirituality is
faring as we enter the 21st century.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead
Paul Heelas
Steven Tipton
The Spiritual Revolution
The New Age Movement
Getting Saved from the Sixties
56
PPR.353 Religion and Social Theory
Tutor:
Term:
Andrew Dawson
Course Description:
This course explores the academic interface of religion and social theory in
both its classical and contemporary forms. Engaging a range of primary texts, this course opens by
defining its key terms of reference and the most relevant aspects of their interface. The foundational
discussions of Marx, Durkheim and Weber are then engaged. The course then moves through a
number of discussions which relate to both debates provoked by sociology of religion’s classical
treatments of ‘modernity’ and contemporary developments in respect of modernity’s current
character and transformation.
Learning Outcomes:
• Discuss key concepts, topics and debates associated with the social theoretical engagement with
religion.
• Employ a variety of theoretical approaches commonly used in the academic study of religion in
social contexts.
• Use appropriate resources to formulate a coherent argument that takes account of divergent
opinions and their implications for the social scientific study of religion.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
Antoun, R. T.
Understanding Fundamentalism: Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Movements
(2nd edn, New York: Rowman and Littlefield 2008)
Beck, U.
A God of One’s Own: Religion’s Capacity for Peace and Potential for Violence,
(Cambridge: Polity Press 2010)
Beckford, J. A.
Social Theory and Religion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2003)
Berger, P. L.
The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion (New York:
Anchor Books 1967)
Bruce, S.
God is Dead: Secularization in the West (Oxford: Blackwell 2002)
Dawson, A.
Sociology of Religion (London: SCM Press 2011)
Luckmann, T.
The Invisible Religion: The Problem of Religion in Modern Society (New York:
Macmillan 1967)
Turner, B.S.
Religion and Social Theory (2nd ed. London: Sage 1991)
57
PPR.354 Reading Buddhism
Tutor:
Term:
Hiroko Kawanami
Lent 2012
Course Description:
This course examines the Buddhist scriptures in the Theravāda and
Mahāyāna traditions and offers an opportunity for students to understand some of the key concepts
and ideas by reading select extracts of the Buddhist texts in English from both schools and traditions.
It also allows them to understand the changes in doctrinal emphasis as well as variations in
interpretation in the historical development of Buddhism. This module will be a stand-alone module
for third year students but will also be accessible to students who are new to the subject.
Learning Outcomes:
 Describe the origins and doctrinal development within the context of historical development of
Buddhism.
 Identify different strands of schools and traditions of Buddhism and demonstrate how doctrines
and concepts have developed out of internal debates and critiques.
 Analyse and evaluate the value systems underlying Buddhist texts.
 Appraise some of the academic debates in relation to the study of Buddhism.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
R. Gethin
The Foundations of Buddhism
H. Warren
Buddhism in Translations
P. Williams
Mahāyāna Buddhism
M. Wijayaratna Buddhist Monastic Life
58
PPR.355 Reading Islam
Tutor:
Term:
Shuruq Naguib
Course Description:
Religions may take on partly distinctive forms due to the history and
traditions of particular regions or modern nation states. Islam is no exception. This course will
examine varieties of Islam in a range of modern areas and countries such as Turkey, Iran, Saudi
Arabia and Britain.
Learning Outcomes:
 Identify a range of modern configurations of Islam in particular countries or regions.
 Illustrate the socio-political contexts which have contributed to these configurations both
historically and in today's world.
 Appreciate and articulate some of the key debates that have arisen both within and between
them.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
John Esposito (ed)
Islam and Development: Religion and Socio-Political Change
Jorgen Nielsen
Muslims in Western Europe
John O. Voll
Islam: Continuity and Change in the Modern World
David Westurlund & Ingvar Svanberg (eds)
Outside the Arab World
59
PPR.356 Religion in Schools
Tutor:
Term:
Mairi Levitt
Course Description:
The aims of this module are to critically examine the teaching of religion in
schools as it has developed since 1944, current controversies and possible futures; and, to provide
relevant knowledge and understanding for those going on to a teaching career in RS/ethics. Topics
include social and political values in RE, pluralism and Truth, spirituality in the curriculum, faith
schools and secular worldviews. The focus is on the educational system in England and Wales but
with reference to the rest of the UK and Europe.
Learning Outcomes:
• Understand the legal framework for the place of religion in the school system
• Understand how religion in schools has developed since 1944 in terms of aims, content and
methods
• Discuss and evaluate the political and social role of religion in schools and the ways in which its
privileged position is justified
• Critically reflect upon current controversies over the role of religious education in a pluralist
society
• Understand and evaluate different positions on the place of faith schools in a state maintained
system
• Demonstrate critical analysis of policy documents, agreed syllabuses, teaching materials and
secondary literature in essay writing and the examination
• Engage in critical reflection on the place of religion in schools in the 21st century
• Demonstrate a clear grasp of the ways in which religion in schools relates to diverse sociopolitical and cultural contexts
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
D. Bates, G. Durka and F. Schweitzer (eds) Education, religion and society. Essays in honour of John
M. Hull. (Routledge 2005)
L. Broadbent and A. Brown (eds)
Issues in religious education. (Routledge 2002)
T. Copley
Teaching Religion: 60 years of religious education in
England and Wales. (University of Exeter Press 2008)
R. Jackson
Rethinking religious education and plurality: issues in
diversity and pedagogy. (Routledge 2004)
R. Murray Thomas
Religion in schools: Controversies around the world.
(Praeger Publishers 2006)
A. Wright
Religion, education and Post-modernity. (Routledge
2003)
Journals
British Journal of Religious Education
Journal of Beliefs and Values
Religious Education
60
Tutor:
Term:
C. Ram-Prasad
Course Description:
This course focuses on key contexts and developments in the interrelationship between religion and politics across the world. The major themes will be: (i) the thesis
that the influence of religion has declined in the western world, and its applicability to Christianity in
the U.S.A; (ii) the thesis that there has been a resurgence of religion in politics in the world, and its
relevance to the interpretation of politics in selected Islamic states (with special reference to
Judaism and the Middle-East); (iii) constitutional attempts to negotiate the role of religion in a multireligious polity, with special reference to Hinduism and Indian secularism; (iv) the management of
religion through the concept of a state religion, through a comparison of the monarchies of the
United Kingdom, Thailand and Japan.
Learning Outcomes:
 Describe and analyse various ways in which religion has been understood in political contexts.
 Appraise the manner in which general theories about the role of religion in politics have actually
engaged with the experience of different traditions and countries.
 Demonstrate a critical and informed awareness of the global diversity of the interaction between
religion and politics.
 Compare and contrast experiences within that global diversity.
 Demonstrate some familiarity with the specific recent history of a range of traditions and
countries.
 Use a range of published materials in engaging with the conceptual challenges of cross-cultural
study of religion and politics and apply an understanding of religion to the study of politics and
vice versa.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
S. Bruce
Politics and Religion
J. Haynes
Religion in Global Politics
T. Ling (ed)
Buddhism and Politics in Southeast Asia
R. Plant
Politics, Theology and History
61
PPR.358 Early Christianity
Tutor: TBC
Term: Not available 2011 - 2012
Course Description:
This course deals with the formative period of Christian history, from the
time of Jesus to the fall of the Roman Empire. It is distinctive in approaching early Christianity from
an interdisciplinary standpoint, and in considering it in terms of three dimensions of the religion: 1)
Christian institutions (and their relation with wider socio-political contexts), 2) Christian pieties and
worship, and 3) Christian thought and the formation of doctrine.
Learning Outcomes:
 Summarise and discuss the key events, individuals, and developments in the first five centuries of
Christian history.
 Relate the growth of early Christianity to its wider social and political contexts.
 Articulate and contextualise the thought of at least one church father.
 Read primary texts from the period in an historically responsible fashion.
 Use primary texts to inform their own research and demonstrate in practice an awareness of the
way in which secondary literature and scholarly debates should be used in the study of early
Christian history.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
S.G. Hall
J. Herrin
J. Stevenson
J. Stevenson
Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church
The Formation of Christendom
A New Eusebius
Creeds, Councils and Controversies
62
PPR.359 Religion in Contemporary Indian Life
Tutor:
Term:
Hiroko Kawanami
Summer vacation in India (August)
Course Description:
This course is taught intensively at the Dharmaram College, Bangalore, for
four weeks during August: three weeks' lectures are complemented by one week of study tours.
Besides a study report completed in Bangalore, on their return to Lancaster, students write one
essay and a supervised dissertation on an aspect of contemporary Indian religious life. Topics
covered could include the Hindu way of life, Bhakti traditions in India, the philosophy and spirituality
of Yoga, Vedanta today, Islam in India, the Sikh way of life, Buddhism, the inculturation process in
Christianity, inter-religious dialogue and pluralism in India today, the role of women in Indian
religious traditions and religious festivals in India.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate direct exposure to many of the ways in which religious beliefs and practices are
expressed and manifested in Indian life.
 Show acquisition of an awareness of the role of religion in Indian life.
 Demonstrate such awareness by testing what you have heard and observed, while in India,
against views in books on Indian religions.
 Demonstrate knowledge for further study of Asian religions.
Assessment:
100% coursework: Study report written in India of 1000 words and 1 essay
of 2000 words completed on return to Lancaster (25%). In addition, 10,000 word dissertation (75%).
Teaching Method:
Lectures, fieldwork, and dissertation tutorials.
R. Housden
Travels through Sacred India
G. Michell
The Hindu Temple
63
PPR.360 Modern Christian Thought
Tutor:
Term:
TBC
Course Description:
This course, for the most part, concentrates on (Protestant) Christian
thinkers from the German-speaking world. These thinkers have dominated the development of
Christian thought in Europe and America until very recent times, when various 'political theologies'
(Black, feminist and liberationist) started to erode their influence. Our point of departure on this
course must be the Enlightenment and its paradigmatic philosopher - Immanuel Kant. We shall
begin, therefore, by looking at the challenges facing early nineteenth century theologians, consider
the responses of five major Christian thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and we
shall end by exploring the challenges facing Christian thought today.
Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate a thorough and critical understanding of the context and approach of one modern
Christian theologian.
 Understand the thought of at least four major theologians.
 Read and analyse at least one major text and foster a critical but sympathetic approach to all the
theological approaches encountered.
Assessment:
Teaching Method:
D. Ford (ed.) The Modern Theologians (2nd ed)
J. Macquarrie Twentieth Century Religious Thought
N. Smart et al Nineteenth Century Religious Thought in the West, Vol. 1
64
PPR.391 and 392 Special Subject
Tutor:
Term:
TBC
Course Description:
These Seminar options are mounted specifically to provide work at an advanced level for third year
single and combined major students.
Special Subject classes run as seminars: the tutor convenes the group and suggests reading but does
not lecture. Students are required to attend special subject seminars regularly. Each seminar group
member takes their turn in making a presentation to the seminar, and it is the presentation that
forms the basis for the seminar discussion. It also forms the basis for the submitted written
coursework.
Learning Outcomes:
 Give a sustained critical discussion of one substantial theme or line of argument that is in part or
whole constitutive of the chosen topic.
 Use the resources of small study group to develop their own critical thinking.
Assessment:
100% coursework: 5,000 word mini-dissertation.
Teaching Method:
One seminar (2 hours) weekly.
65
Tutor:
Term:
Ngai-Ling Sum
End of Lent 2011 to end of Lent 2012
Course Description: PPR.399 provides an opportunity for students to choose a topic related to some
aspect of Politics and International Relations, Philosophy and Religious Studies which particularly
interests them, and to pursue it in depth. The topic may be related to work that is being done on a
formally taught course, or it may be less directly linked to course work. The intention is that students
will develop their research skills, and their ability to work at length under their own direction.
Students write a dissertation of 9,000-10,000 words. They are expected to start thinking seriously
about the dissertation towards the end of the Lent term of their second year, and to submit a
provisional topic by the end of that term. Work should be well advanced by Christmas in the third
year. The completed dissertation must be submitted by the end of the Lent term in the third year. To
help students prepare for work on the dissertation, there will be a series of lectures on topics
relating to doing one's own research and planning and writing a dissertation. A course handout will
be available setting out in more detail the requirements for the dissertation and giving full details of
lectures, supervision arrangements and assessment.
Learning Outcomes:
 Give a sustained critical discussion of one substantial theme or line of argument that is in part or
whole constitutive of the chosen topic.
 Use the resources of the library to develop their own critical thinking.
 Present their thinking in a coherent and engaging way through a sustained piece of writing.
Assessment:
The final mark will be based on the dissertation itself. Students will be
expected to attend the research skills lectures, but their attendance will
not be assessed.
Teaching Method:
Students will be allocated a supervisor early in the Summer term of their
second year, and will consult their supervisor on an individual basis. There
will be three one-hour lectures on research skills at the end of the Lent
term of the second year.
66

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