Politics and Its Discontents
| Module title | Politics and Its Discontents |
|---|---|
| Module code | POL2112 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Robin Durie (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
This new module explores the work of Nietzsche and Freud, and assesses the impact of their work on some of the basic principles of political science and political theory. The theories of both Nietzsche and Freud undermine the key presumption of political science that political actors are rational agents. Both argue that the types of beings that we are, and the ways in which we act, are determined by conflicts between more basic drives. Their theories have influenced many of the most significant developments in contemporary discourses of politics, from Foucault’s theory of power to critical feminism.
Students will benefit if they have taken any of POL1025, POL1026 and/or POL2059 (as they will be able to make historical comparisons), but there will be no presumption that they have done so in the teaching of the module.
This module is suitable for non-specialist students and recommended for interdisciplinary pathways.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will introduce students to the key theoretical positions of Nietzsche and Freud, and explore how their contributions to political theory grow out of these theoretical positions: Nietzsche’s pronouncement of the death of god; the aim of a transvaluation of all values (and how this can be read as a critique of Kant); perspectivism and genealogy (and how this can be read as a critique of Hegel); and the genealogy of morality as a dynamic struggle between active and reactive forces (informing the subsequent notion of will to power). Freud’s theory of the unconscious, revealed by dreams and parapraxes; repression, and the dynamic struggle between the pleasure principle of the unconscious and the reality principle of the conscious; the translation of this psychology of individuals into the psychology of groups, and in particular, political psychology, the mass psychology of fascism.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Critically assess the basic theories of Nietzsche and Freud
- 2. Understand how their respective political theories emerge from their basic theories
- 3. Compare the similarities between the theories of both thinkers, and contrast their differences
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Critically reflect on how these theories relate to, and go beyond, the set of shared principles that inform the history of political thought that precedes them
- 5. Explain how the theories of Nietzsche and Freud challenge many of the assumptions of contemporary political science
- 6. Demonstrate an understanding of how the theories of Nietzsche and Freud inform some of the most significant critical discourses of contemporary political theory.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Critically analyse primary discoursive source material, based on the two textual analysis assignments
- 8. Study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively
- 9. Communicate effectively in speech and writing
- 10. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through tutorial discussions and module assessments
- 11. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Key elements of Nietzsche’s thinking: the death of god, perspectivism and genealogy, the transvaluation of all values.
- A close reading of The Genealogy of Morality.
- Key elements of Freuds thinking: the unconscious (via dreams and parapraxes), the metapsychology of repression, and the struggle between the pleasure principle of the unconscious and the reality principle of the conscious.
- A close reading of Civilisation and its Discontents.
- A reading of The Mass Psychology of Facism, and a concluding comparison of the theories of Nietzsche and Freud.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2-hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Private study reading and preparing for seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 78 | Preparation for textual analysis assignments and essay including researching and collating relevant sources; planning the structure and argument; writing up the essay |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay outline | 250 words | 1, 7-10 | Peer-assessed |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textual Analysis | 30 | 1000 words | 1, 7-10 | Written |
| Essay | 70 | 2500 words | 1-11 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Textual Analysis | Textual Analysis (1000 words) | 1, 7-10 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | Essay (2500 words) | 1-11 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Primary Texts
Freud, S. Civilisation and Its Discontents, translated by D. McLintock (London: Penguin, 2002)
Freud, S. Mass Psychology and Other Writings, translated by J.A. Underwood (London: Penguin, 2004)
Nietzsche, F. The Geanealogy of Morality, edited by K. Ansell-Pearson (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994)
Secondary Texts
Adorno, T. “Sociology and Psychology I & II”, New Left Review, 46 & 47 (1967-68)
Ansell-Pearson, K. An Introduction to Nietzsche as Political Thinker (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994)
Le Bon, G. The Crowd (out of copywrite – available in multiple cheap editions)
Butler, J. Gender Trouble (London: Routledge, 1990)
Connolly, W.E. Political Theory and Modernity (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1988)
Deleuze, G. Nietzsche, translated by H. Tomlinson (London: Athlone, 1983)
Frosh, S. The Politics of Psychoanalysis (Basingstoke: Macmillan Press, 1999)
Gipps, R.G.T. and Lacewing, M. The Oxford Hanbook of Philosophy & Psychoanalysis (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019)
Marcuse, H. Eros and Civilisation (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987)
Owen, D. Maturity and Modernity: Nietzsche, Weber and Foucault (London: Routledge, 1994)
Reich, W. Mass Psychology of Fascism, translated by V.R. Carfagno (Souvenir Press, 1997)
Stavrakakis, Y. (ed) Routledge Handbook of Psychoanalytic Political Theory (London: Routledge, 2020)
Wolfenstein, E.V.“Psychoanalysis in Political Theory”, Political Theory 24 (1996)
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 15/07/2019 |
| Last revision date | 02/03/2022 |
