Western Political Thought (WCIV2700)
Information valid for Semester 2, 2023
Course level
Undergraduate
Faculty
Humanities Arts Social Science
School
Humanities Arts Social Science
Units
2
Duration
One Semester
Attendance mode
In Person
Class hours
Lecture 1 Hour/ Week
Seminar 2 Hours/ Week
Prerequisite
WCIV1000 or 4 units of HUMN courses.
Restricted
BAdvHum(Hons) and BHum/LLB(Hons) students only. BAdvHum(Hons) students taking this course as an elective please email westernciv@uq.edu.au to enable your enrolment.
Assessment methods
Participation, Oral presentation, Essay, Take-home examination
Course enquiries
Professor Richard Devetak (Semester 2, St Lucia, In person)
Current course offerings
Course offerings | Location | Mode | Course Profile |
Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024) | St Lucia | In Person | Course Profile |
Please Note: Course profiles marked as not available may still be in development.
Course description
This course introduces students to canonical texts in the history of Western political thought. A range of texts will be studied to enquire into what it means to think politically and to explore the changing character of this thought over time. The course will seek to understand texts in their context by acknowledging the historical and often cultural-political distance that separate us from the texts under examination. It will explore arguments about forms of legitimate government, including ideas about power, the state, the relationship between politics, morality and religion, and politics and economics, and examine the competing ends to which they are put, such as the political ideals of freedom, equality, justice, democracy, and citizenship. It will also contemplate whether past texts in the history of political thought contain value and wisdom that can be redeemed for our times. Texts will be selected to give voice to a plurality of positions and identities.
Archived offerings
Course offerings | Location | Mode | Course Profile |
Semester 2, 2023 (24/07/2023 - 18/11/2023) | St Lucia | In Person | Course Profile |
Semester 2, 2022 (25/07/2022 - 19/11/2022) | St Lucia | Internal | Course Profile |
Semester 2, 2021 (26/07/2021 - 20/11/2021) | St Lucia | Internal | Course Profile |
Semester 2, 2020 (03/08/2020 - 21/11/2020) | St Lucia | Flexible Delivery | Course Profile |