Undergraduate - UnitATS2719 - Political and social theory

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Offered	Clayton First semester 2012 (Day) South Africa First semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Michael Ure (Clayton)

Notes

Previously coded SCY2100

Synopsis

This unit aims to introduce students to some of the key thinkers and themes in classical and contemporary political and social theory. The contrasting perspectives of the classical thinkers Marx, Nietzsche,Weber, Durkheim and Freud are discussed, along with the new perspectives of theorists such as Foucault, Habermas, Giddens, Bauman and Agamben. The unit will examine central theoretical issues such as action, structure, power, culture and modernity.

Outcomes

Students who study this unit:

Will acquire knowledge about a broad range of political and social theories, both classical and contemporary, as alternative and differing approaches to analysing social relations, and hence will gain an understanding of how political and sociological knowledge has developed over time;
Will learn to critique certain accepted political and social theories and learn how to question dominant ideas and assumptions;
Will develop their oral and written skills in order to analyse theoretical material.