POLS302

Power

30 points

Not offered 2017, offered in 2011, 2012

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences

Description

Power is the central concept in Political Science, yet there is little consensus about what it actually means. The course will provide students with the opportunity to focus explicitly on this concept, the controversies surrounding it and why these controversies matter for politics as well as for Political Science. It explicates how and why different conceptions of power underlie different ideological positions, as well as their implications for freedom and autonomy. It explores the relationships among power, resistance and empowerment. The course will make regular use of films and their analysis as a way of elucidating the interplay of different types of power and responses to it.

Prerequisites

15 points in POLS at 200-level for one course; 30 points in POLS at 200-level for two or more courses. Students without 15 points at 200 level in POLS but with at least a B average in 75 points in appropriate courses may be admitted to any one POLS course at 300 level with the approval of the Programme Director.

Restrictions