| Course Name |
Politics & International Relations - Individuals and the State: The Idea of Freedom in the History of Political Thought |
| Course Provider |
University College Dublin |
| Course Code |
POL20010 |
| Course Type |
Lifelong Learning |
| Apply To |
Course provider |
| Attendance Options |
Part time |
| Location (Districts) |
Belfield |
| Enrolment and Start Dates Comment |
TRIMESTER: Autumn |
| Application Date |
2021-2022 Academic Year
Pre-Registration for September 2021 reopening in August! |
| Duration |
Autumn Trimester Sept to Dec
Delivery Mode - Face to Face |
| Link to Course Fee |
Web Page - Click Here |
| Eligibility |
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Recommendations:
Ideally, students would have taken INRL 10010 Introduction to Political Theory and International Relations or another module introducing the methods of normative political theory.
Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module. |
| Course Content |
Expand+POL20010 Individuals and the State: The Idea of Freedom in the History of Political Thought
Academic Year 2021/2022
The slogan of the French Revolution is still popular: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Liberty is usually the most glorious and mo...
Hide-POL20010 Individuals and the State: The Idea of Freedom in the History of Political Thought
Academic Year 2021/2022
The slogan of the French Revolution is still popular: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Liberty is usually the most glorious and most popular ideal, but what does it mean to be free? Free from what? Free to do what? How is my freedom from interference compatible with your freedom to act? How is the authority of the state compatible with my individual liberty? Equality also is still a very popular ideal but the question of what kind of equality matters when is very controversial. Are equal rights enough? Should there be equal opportunities? What about equality of well-being? Fraternity, finally, has a lovely ring to it, but is quite complicated to. And not just because of the sexist undertones. When is the idea of community and belonging important enough to allow compromising some liberties and/or some aspects of equality?
The key question of this model is how freedom is compatible with the authority of the state. Over the course of this module we will look at some classical responses to this question as well as to the related questions of how to organise statehood in a way that balances concerns for liberty, equality, and community.
In exploring the theoretical foundations of today’s debates on these issues, we will initially focus on a selection of historical thinkers from the pre-Enlightenment period onwards, later bringing the debate more up to date with scholarship by more modern thinkers.
Learning Outcomes:
On the completion of this module, you will be able to
• read and critically engage with historical and more modern normative political theory texts
• summarize and explain central positions in the history of political thought
• analyse and evaluate different arguments about balancing the authority of the state with individual liberty
• develop and defend your own normative political theory arguments in the form of a clearly structured normative political theory essay
Indicative Module Content:
Social Contract Theory
Liberalism
Republicanism
Feminism
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| Number of Credits |
5 |
| Careers or Further Progression |
Open Learning is one of our most flexible pathways for entering into UCD undergraduate study. With 12 UCD undergraduate programmes, learners are able to accumulate 30 credits towards a NFQ Level 7 Certificate in Open Learning at their own pace from a variety of undergraduate modules. We have a dedicated team ready to support you in planning your unique learning journey, contact us via: all@ucd.ie. |
| Course Web Page |
Web Page - Click Here |
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