Early Modern Political Thought

Module title	Early Modern Political Thought
Module code	POL1026
Academic year	2024/5
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Simon Townsend ()

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	180

Module description

This module will introduce you to the key works of some of the most important thinkers in the early-modern period, spanning from the Italian Renaissance to the French Revolution. These will include Niccoló Machiavelli (1469–1527), Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), John Locke (1632–1704), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), and Edmund Burke (1729–1797). You will be encouraged to study these works from a variety of perspectives, including: as addressing problems peculiar to the historical context in which they were written; as abstract theoretical explorations of some of the key concepts in politics, such as the state, sovereignty and liberty; and as important episodes in a narrative of the development of modernity that shapes how we understand both the history and identity of politics today. These perspectives need not be antithetical and the scope of the course encompasses all three.

Module aims - intentions of the module

1) Machiavelli’s ideas on states, politics and republics;

2) Hobbes’s science of politics and conceptions of the state of nature, contract and sovereignty;

3) Locke’s ideas on the law and right of nature, property, the limits of obedience and the right to rebellion;

4) Rousseau’s critique of modern society, account of inequality, and ideas on liberty, sovereignty and contract;

5) Burke’s critique of the French Revolution and defence of conservatism;

6) Wollstonecraft’s defence of the rights of women, her critique of male tyranny, and her proposals for political and educational reform.

7) Understanding the ideas that shaped the Haitian Revolution

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the major political theories of the Western tradition between the Renaissance and the French Revolution;
2. Understand, summarise, and interpret complex and abstract arguments in politics
3. Analyse major works of political theory;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

4. 4. Identify and discuss the major concepts deployed in a political theory and their argumentative articulation
5. 5. Engage in both sympathetic interpretation and reasoned criticism of such theories, and evaluate different interpretations in the light of appropriate evidence

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

6. Evaluate ideas, arguments and texts
7. Develop and assess communication skills
8. Take a critical attitude towards their work and learn from others
9. Work independently, within a limited time frame, to complete a specified task.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

1) Machiavelli’s ideas on states, politics and republics;

2) Hobbes’s science of politics and conceptions of the state of nature, contract and sovereignty;

3) Locke’s ideas on the law and right of nature, property, the limits of obedience and the right to rebellion;

4) Rousseau’s critique of modern society, account of inequality, and ideas on liberty, sovereignty and contract;

5) Burke’s critique of the French Revolution and defence of conservatism;

6) Wollstonecraft’s defence of the rights of women, her critique of male tyranny, and her proposals for political and educational reform.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
26.5	123.5	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	16.5	11 x 1.5 hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	10	10 x 1 hour tutorials
Guided Independent study	73.5	Preparation for essays and exam
Guided Independent study	50	Reading for tutorials

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Mini Textual Analysis	500 words	1-8	Written

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Textual Analysis	40	1000 words	1-9	Written (and Oral feedback on request)
Essay	60	1750 words	1-9	Written (and Oral feedback on request)
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Textual Analysis (1000 words)	Textual Analysis (1000 words)	1-9	August/September reassessment period
Essay (1750 words)	Essay (1750 words)	1-9	August/September reassessment period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Primary sources:

Wootton D. (1996) Modern Political Thought: Readings from Machiavelli to Nietzsche, Cambridge, MA: Hackett.
Wollstonecraft M., Botting, E. H. ed. (2014) A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, (New Haven: Yale University Press

Secondary reading:

Hampsher-Monk, I. (1992) A History of Modern Political Thought: Major Political Thinkers from Hobbes to Marx, Oxford: Blackwell.
Ball, T. Reappraising Political Theory: Revisionist Studies in the History of Political Thought (Oxford, 1994).
Ryan, A. On Politics (Penguin, 2014)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Key words search

Modern Political Thought, History

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	4
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	01/12/2013
Last revision date	31/03/2023