Please note: there may be some adjustments to the teaching arrangements published in the course catalogue for 2020-21. Given current circumstances related to the Covid-19 pandemic it is anticipated that some usual arrangements for teaching on campus will be modified to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff on campus; further adjustments may also be necessary, or beneficial, during the course of the academic year as national requirements relating to management of the pandemic are revised.

Marxism and Anarchism PHIL5104

  • Academic Session: 2022-23
  • School: School of Humanities
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Available to Erasmus Students: No

Short Description

This course will introduce students to some key ideas and themes in Marx's, and anarchist political thought. The focus is on Marxist and anarchist ideas of freedom and of justice, and of the relationship between these ideas. The course also covers how Marxist and anarchist writers have criticised and responded to criticisms from each other, as well as from liberal and libertarian theorists.

Timetable

16 x 1hr lectures; 4 x 1hr seminars as scheduled on MyCampus.

Requirements of Entry

Masters at College Level

Excluded Courses

PHIL4065

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

2 Essays (2500 words each) - 100%

Main Assessment In: April/May

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ Allow students to gain a thorough understanding of central theories about the nature of law.

■ Provide students with the opportunity to apply philosophical concepts and theories to philosophical issues raised by the law.

■ Encourage students to hone their analytical and critical skills, by considering and developing key arguments and positions in depth.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Formulate clearly, and explain in some detail, central philosophical theories of the nature of law.

■ Critically evaluate the merits of those theories.

■ Competently deploy a variety of concepts from other philosophical subdisciplines (e.g. metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, moral philosophy) in the analysis of philosophical questions raised by the law.

■ Articulate complex arguments perspicuously and rigorously, in written form.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.