Undergraduate - UnitATS4328 - Grand theories of politics

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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12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

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

Notes

Previously coded PLT4399

Synopsis

Selected topics in the history of political thought, including the nature of epic or grand theories of politics and the role of various forms of moral, religious, scientific, and metaphysical thinking in such theories. Texts and arguments considered are of two kinds:

models of construction and deconstruction of the history of Western political and philosophical thought in writings of Heidegger, Feyerabend, Strauss, Derrida;
conceptions of knowledge, power and morality, culture and civilisation in the thinking of Socrates, Plato, Machiavelli, Rousseau and Nietzsche.

Assessment

Research essay (6000 words): 50%
Examination (3 hours): 40%
Class participation: 10%

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Michael Janover

Contact hours

2 hours (1 x 2 hour seminar) per week

Prohibitions

COS4399, EUR4399