MA/BA Module on Political Power, 2016-17ß.
When philosophers talk about justice, rights or freedom they are at least implicitly presupposing or recommending particular structures or divisions of political power. The question of what sort of power they have in mind therefore arises. So what is political power? Is it a feature of individual or collective agents, or an aspect of some sort of social structure? Does it consist in a capacity to act in a certain way, or is it itself a form of action? Is it inherently relational? What distinguishes political power from power of other kinds? Is power distinct from violence? In this module we shall address these and other questions by examining a series of influential interpretations of power, some historical and some contemporary.
Lectures:The lectures for this module will be held in **, on Wednesdays from 6-7pm in the Spring Term. The lecturer is Prof. Susan James ().
Seminars:The seminarsfor this module will be held in **, on Wednesdays from 7-8pm in the Spring Term. They will be led by the lecturer and by **.
Readings: There is one ‘essential reading’ for each session. You need to read this before you come to class. The ‘additional reading’ is optional, but it is advisable to read it if you can. At the start of term I shall provide fuller advice about how to prepare for classes.
Essays (BA): This module is assessed by one essay of around 3,000 words. It must be written in response to one of the set questions listed below, except with permission from the lecturer. The deadline for submission will be midnight ending Monday 4th January 2016.
Prior to this assessed essay, you may also write up to two essays during the course, taken from the titles below, and receive feedback on them from your seminar leader. These can be useful practice for your eventual assessed essay. You should submit the first such essay by the first seminar after reading week, and the second by one week after the last seminar of term. [Notes: 1) You are always welcome to submit an essay earlier than these dates; 2) the seminar leader should not be expected to comment on the same essay more than once.]
Essay (MA): This module is assessed by one essay of around 3,500 words. It must be written in response to one of the set questions listed below, except with permission from the module convenor. The deadline for submission will be midnight ending Monday 4th January 2016.
Moodle: Electronic copies of course materials are available through Moodle, at You will need your ITS login name and password to enter.
Week 1: Conceptual Maps and Problems
Steven Lukes, Power: A Radical View, 2nd edition (Palgrave, 2007), ch. 1.
Additional reading: Barry Hindess, Discourses of Power from Hobbes to Foucault (Blackwell, 1996), Introduction.
Week 2:Maintaining Power: Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (many editions.)
Additional reading:
Deitz, M., 1986, “Trapping the Prince: Machiavelli and the Politics of Deception,” American Political Science Review, 80: 777–799.
Nederman, C. J., ‘Nicolo Machiavelli’,Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Week 3: Sovereign Power I: Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (many editions - I recommend the one edited by E. Curley and published by Hackett), chs. 10, 13-19.
Additional Reading:
Quentin Skinner, ‘Hobbes on Representation’, European Journal of Philosophy 13 (2005), pp. 155-84.
Week 4:Sovereign Power II: Benedict de Spinoza
Benedict de Spinoza, Political Treatise trans. S. Shirley (Hackett, 2000), chs.2 and 3.
Additional Reading:
Moira Gatens, ‘Spinoza’s Disturbing Thesis. Power, Norms and Fiction in the TractatusTheologico-Politicus’, History of Political Thought , 30.3 (2009), 455-68.
Week 5:Contested Power: Karl Marx
Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto
Additional Reading:
Nancy Holstrom, ‘Exploitation’ Canadian Journal of Philosophy 7.2 (1977).
READING WEEK
Week 6:Diversification of Power: Max Weber
Max Weber, ‘Basic Categories of Social Organisation’ and ‘Class, Status Groups and Parties’ in W. G. Runciman ed., Weber: Selections in Translation (Cambridge University Press, 1978).
Additional Reading:
Wolfgang Mommsen, ‘The theory of the “three pure types of legitimate domination” and the concept of plebiscitarian democracy’ in The Age of Bureaucracy (Blackwell, 1974).
Week 7: Power and Violence
Hannah Arendt, ‘On Violence’ in Crises of the Republic (various editions).
Additional reading:
George Kateb, Political Action: its nature and advantages’ in Dana Villa ed. The Cambridge Companion to Hannah Arendt (Cambridge University Press, 2000).
Week 8:Foucault on Discipline
Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish. The Birth of the Prison, trans. Alan Sheridan (London: Penguin Books, 1977), Part 3.
Additional reading:
Michel Foucault, ‘The Subject and Power’ trans. Leslie Sawyer, in Power: Essential Works vol. 3 ed. J. Faubion, 326-248.
Week 9:Foucault on Techniques of the Self
Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality, vol 3: Care of the Self, Introduction.
Additional Reading:
Martin Saar, ‘Genealogy and Subjectivity’, European Journal of Philosophy 10 (2002), 231-145.
Week 10:Power and Gender
Chantal Mouffe, The Return of the Political (Verso, 2005), ch. 5.
Additional reading:
Wendy Brown, ‘Finding the Man in the State’, in States of Injury (Princeton University Press, 1995), pp. 166-96.
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