BIK30125 Political Theory (Vår 2027)

This course is divided into two parts. The first part is about the history of political thought and the second part examines some of the most influential theories in contemporary political theory.

An important goal with this course is to understand how ideas and approaches in political theory have changed over time from antiquity until modernity. Another important goal is to be able to apply perspectives from political theory on controversial issues in today’s society. Some of the issues this course will cover are, for example, justice, liberty, equality, community, multiculturalism and democracy.

Knowledge

The student has

• a thorough knowledge of the most important theories and debates in the history of political thought and contemporary political theory.
• a thorough understanding of the context of many of the most important thinkers in the history of political thought.
• a thorough understanding of important concepts such as justice, liberty, equality, community and democracy among others in contemporary political theory.

Skills

The student is able to

• appreciate and understand the relationship between politics and political theory in the history of political thought.
• apply theories in contemporary political theory to political issues today to describe, analyse and discuss these political issues.
• analyse important concepts in political theory and understand their significance in both contemporary political theory and politics.

Generel competence

The student has developed, both orally and in writing:

• analytical skills of understanding, breaking down and assessing complex arguments;
• close and precise definition of terms; and
• the orderly, exact and concise expression of your own ideas and arguments.

Two procedural essays of approximately 2000 (+/- 10%) words assigned by the tutor must be approved.

Coursework requirements must be approved to qualify for the exam.

This course is evaluated by a

• Final course evaluation

The responsible for the course compiles a report based on the feedback from the students and his/her own experience with the course. The report is discussed by the program committee at the Department of Computer Science and Communication.