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Political Thought

Code: 101118 ECTS Credits: 12
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Political Science and Public Management OB 2

Contact

Name:
John Robert Etherington
Email:
john.etherington@uab.cat

Teachers

(External) Jordi Mir Garcia

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no formal requirements for this course. However, it is taken for granted that students have the necessary skills to engage with texts, present them in open sessions and to critically discuss their contents. 


Objectives and Contextualisation

This course is obligatory in the second year of the degree programme, and provides an introduction to the theoretical and methodological basis for the development of politics in the West up until the 20th century.

 The course has as its basic objective the study of the main thinkers and schools of thought of the Western tradition of political thought, and by analysing these thinkers and schools, the course seeks to offer a coherent vision of the main questions raised, the answers to these questions, and the debates surrounding them.

 On these foundations, students should be able to not only develop the basic concepts of political thought, but also to go on, in the course Political Thought, to study more recent debates and tendencies. 


Competences

  • Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  • Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
  • Distinguishing the discipline's main theories and different fields: conceptual developments, theoretical frameworks and theoretical approaches underlying the discipline's knowledge and different areas and sub-areas, as well as their value for the professional practice through concrete cases.
  • Identifying and connecting main contemporary political theories, interpreting classical and current political texts, and arguing from different theoretical positions.
  • Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  • Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  • Managing contemporary political theories and understanding its analytical value in internal or international concrete cases.
  • Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  • Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  • Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
  • Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  • Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
  • Working autonomously.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  2. Assessing the contribution of movements like feminism, environmentalism or various identity movements.
  3. Assessing the debate in the Spanish tradition concerning the relationship between sovereignty and religious faith.
  4. Critically analysing and assessing the alternatives to liberalism.
  5. Critically analysing and assessing the emergence of liberalism.
  6. Demonstrating good writing skills in different contexts.
  7. Describing the emergence of the State in the modern sense and explaining the theoretical contributions of Machiavelli, Bodino, Hobbes.
  8. Explaining the impact of the emergence of Christianity on the political thought.
  9. Explaining the several approaches of the socialist tradition, specially the 1917 breakup and the emergence of communism.
  10. Exposing key elements of political thought in the Graeco-Roman past: the individual and the community from Socrates to Aristotle.
  11. Identifying and connecting main contemporary political theories, interpreting classical and current political texts, and arguing from different theoretical positions.
  12. Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  13. Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  14. Managing contemporary political theories and understanding its analytical value in internal or international concrete cases.
  15. Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  16. Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  17. Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
  18. Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  19. Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
  20. Working autonomously.

Content

Part I. From Antiquity to the Modern World

  1. The origins of Western political thought: the Greek polis and the golden century of Athenian democracy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle).
  2. Rome: from ideas to practice (Polybius, Cicero...).
  3. Christianity: doctrines and emergence
  4. Medieval political thought: main schools.
  5. Why don’t we find women in textbooks and courses?

Part II. The emergence of the Modern State

  1. Machiavelli and realpolitik
  2. The concept of sovereignty and irresistible power (Hobbes).
  3. Locke and the liberal reinterpretation of power.
  4. The growth of revolutionary ideas: the Encyclopaedia, Montesquieu, Rousseau..
  5. The North-American and French revolutions 

Part III. Modern Western Political Ideologies

  1. Liberalism: origins, schools and debates. The main stage in its development: classic liberalism, the creation of the Welfare State, neoliberalism.
  2. Conservatism: origins, characteristics and evolution.
  3. The ideologies of the working class movements: socialism, Marxism, anarchism. The impact of the Russian Revolution.
  4. Democratic Socialism: schools and tendencies.
  5. Feminism: origins, characteristics and evolution
  6. Nationalisms: evolution and typologies.
  7. Totalitarian Thought: fascism and national-socialism.

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Assessments of Readings 12 0.48 1, 12, 13, 17, 18
Lecture 68 2.72 5, 4, 2, 7, 14, 9, 10, 8, 11, 3
Presentation of essays (2 in total) 4 0.16 1, 6, 14, 16, 15, 12, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 19
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 30 1.2 15, 20
Type: Autonomous      
Autonomous study 150 6 5, 4, 2, 7, 14, 9, 10, 8, 11, 3
Evaluation activities 15 0.6 1, 15, 12, 11, 17, 18, 20

The dedication of the student to this subject is divided into several types of activities, each with a specific weight of hours of work.

 

This subject is of 12 ECTS, that is to say, it implies a total dedication of the student of 300 hours, distributed as follows:

 

- The supervised activities are activities in the classroom, with the presence of the teacher and can consist of lectures, seminars for discussion of compulsory readings in smaller groups and sessions oriented to practical questions related to the subject of the course. These activities represent around 35% of the total work required.

 

- The supervised activities are activities carried out by the student outside the classroom in accordance with a work plan designed and subsequently tutored and evaluated by the teacher. These activities will revolve around the preparation of two essays, one for each semester. These activities represent 10% of the student's dedication.

 

- The autonomous activities are all those that the student does on his/her own account such as basic and complementary readings, study of class notes or all those other activities that complement the learning process of the course. They represent 55%.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Assessments of Readings (6 in total) 25% 12 0.48 5, 4, 1, 2, 6, 7, 14, 9, 10, 12, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 3
First Term Exam 25% 2.5 0.1 5, 1, 6, 7, 10, 8, 15, 12, 17, 18, 20, 3
Presentation of Essays (2 in total) 25% 4 0.16 1, 6, 14, 16, 15, 12, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 19
Second Term Exam 25% 2.5 0.1 4, 1, 2, 6, 14, 9, 15, 12, 11, 17, 18, 20

The evaluation of this subject consists of the following parts:

 - Two partial exams: each one of them represents 25% of the final grade (50% of the total). It is a necessary condition to pass the subject to pass the two partial exams with a minimum grade of passed (5 out of 10).

 - A minimum of 6 seminars (reading controls), whose value will be 25% of the final grade of the subject.

 - Two essays: each one of them represents 12.5% of the grade (25% of the total). Both must be handed in in order to to pass the subject.

 

There are some particularly notable considerations about the conditions of the evaluation system: 

- The exam of the first semester will be at the end of the semester, the date of which will be set by the Faculty and made public well in advance. The same applies to the second semester exam.

- The dates for the readings controls, as well as the handing in and presentations of the essays will be specified in the teaching program of the subject.

 - Students who have not passed the first or the second exam (or both exams) will have the opportunity to take part in the compensation activities, that is, they can retake the exams on the day determined by the Faculty. This will be after the end of the second term.

 - Students who have passed the two exams have not achieved the overall minimum grade to pass the subject will have the opportunity to do one of the two exams (or both, if necessary) in order to increase their overall grade for the course. However, there will be no possibility of doing reading controls outside established schedules or repeating papers already submitted.

 - When the evaluation activities carried out by the student exceed 15%, the student will no longer be able to request a not-presented.

 - Plagiarism: if, during the course – particularly with regards the essays – any form of plagiarism is detected (copying work from other years, webpages web, books, etc.), the student will be given a fail and will have to repeat the course in its entirety on another occasion. 

- Use of Artificial Intelligence/LLM: For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively in support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction or translations. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases.

 

Evaluation Activities

Hours

Learning Outcomes

 

 

 

Assessment 1

2 hours

Demonstrate a sufficient knowledge of the texts and a sufficient degree on intellectual maturity in order to be able to present the main ideas in a critical and comprehensive way.

Assessment 2

2 hours

Assessment 3

2 hours

Assessment 4

2 hours

Assessment 5

2 hours

Assessment 6

2 hours
 

 

Essay 1. During Term 1.

2 hours

Deepen the student’s understanding of one of the key themes of the term.

Essay 2. During Term 2.

2 hours

Deepen the student’s understanding of one of the key themes of the term..

End of term exam for first semester.

2,5 hours

Parts I and II of the programme.

End of term exam for second term.

2,5 hours

Part III of the programme.

 

 

 

 

Single Assessment

The single assessment consists of the following:

  • the handing in of two essays (25%)
  • an oral exam on the required readings (25%)
  • a 3-hour final exam on the topics studied during the course (50%)

The teaching staff responsible for the subject will set the dates for the completion of these assessments on the first day of class, always in accordance with the academic calendar set by the Faculty

All three parts of the assessment are recoverable.

In order to participate in the recovery, students must have passed all the scheduled tests

Finally, if any type of plagiarism is detected during some of the planned activities, especially during the course work (regarding work from other years, websites, books, etc.), the subject will be suspended as a whole and will have to be repeated in its entirety.


Bibliography

Primary Bibliography

Part I

The Greek Polis

  • Plato, Apology
  • Plato, The Sophist
  • Plato, The Republic
  • Plato, Protagaras
  • Aristotle, The Politics

 

Roma

  • Cicero, The Republic
  • Polybius, The Histories

 

The Political Doctrines and the Emergence of Christianity 

  • St. Agustine, The City of God

 

Part II

  • Machiavelli, Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius
  • Hobbes, Leviathan
  • Locke, Second Treatise on Civil Government 
  • Rousseau, Discurse on the Origin of Inequality between Men 
  • Rousseau, The Social Contract 
  • Montesquieu, Persian Letters
  • Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws
  • Constant, The Freedom of he Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns

 

Part III

Ideology

  • Eagleton, T. (1997) Ideology: an introduction, London: Verso

 

Liberalism

  • Mill, James, Government
  • Mill, John Stuart, On Liberty

Conservadurismo

  • Burke, E. Reflections on the French Revolution
  • De Maistre, J. Considerations on France

Socialismo

  • Marx, K. German Ideology.
  • Marx, K. Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.
  • Marx, K. y F.Engels, Communist Manifesto
  • Lenin, V.I. The State and Revolution
  • Luxemburg, R. Social reform or Revolution
  • Bernstein, E. Evolutionary Socialism
  • Trotsky, L. The Revolution Betrayed
  • Gramsci, A. Prison Notebooks

Anarquismo

  • Godwin, W. Godwin, W. Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and its Influence on Morals and Happiness
  • Bakunin, M. Marxism, Freedom and the State

Feminismo

  • Wollstonecraft, M. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects
  • De Beauvoir, S. The Second Sex
  • Martín Gamero, A. Antología del feminismo, Madrid, Alianza Editorial, 1975
  • AAVV, Feministas negras, Madrid, Traficantes de sueños, 2012

 Nacionalismo

  • Mill, J.S. On Representative Government
  • Luxemburg, R The National Question
  • Renan, E. What is a Nation?
  • Stalin, J.V. Marxism and the National Question

Totalitarismo

  • Arendt, H. The Origins of Totalitarianism

 

 

Bibliografia secundaria

  • Barrios, S. i  Vanina Guazzaroni, “Christine de Pizán y La Ciudad de las Damas: la mujer como sujeto jurídico activo”, La Aljaba, segunda época, Revista de Estudios de la Mujer. XV. Argentina: Universidad Nacional de Luján. 
  • Bernstein, S. (1996) Los Regímenes Políticos del Siglo XX. Barcelona: Ariel.
  • Bertomeu M.J.(2005), “Republicanismo y propiedad”, El Viejo Topo, 207.
  • Black, A. (2009) A World History of Ancient Political Thought. Oxford Scholarship Online.
  • Botella, J, Cañeque, C., Gonzalo, E. (2004) El Pensamiento Político en sus Textos. Madrid: Tecnos.
  • Canfora, L. (2004) La democracia. Historia de una ideología, Crítica.
  • Cartledge, P. (2009) Ancient Greek Political Thought in Practice. Cambridge: CUP.
  • Cobo Bedía, R. (1998) La democracia moderna y la exclusión de las mujeres, Cuadernos del Guincho, Nº. 5-6, págs. 184-195
  • Coleman, J. (2000) A History of Political Thought: From Ancient Greece to Early Christianity. Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Fernández Buey, F. (1998) Marx (sin ismos), El Viejo Topo, Barcelona.
  • Hampsher-Monk,I. (1996). Historia del Pensamineto Político Moderno. Barcelona: Ariel.
  • Held,D. (2007) Modelos de Democracia. Madrid. Alianza.
  • Lledó, J. (2015)La memoria del logos, Taurus, Madrid.
  • Macridis, R. i Hulliung,M. (1996) Las Ideologías Políticas Contemporáneas. Madrid. Alianza.
  • MacPherson, C.B. (1962) The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke. Oxford. OUP
  • MacPherson, C.W. (1977) The Life and Times of Liberal Democracy. Oxford: OUP
  • McCormick, John P. (2003) ‘Machiavelli Against Republicanism: On the Cambridge School's ''Guicciardinian Moments''’, Political Theory, 31, pp. 615-643.
  • Meiksins Wood, E. (2011) De Ciudadanos aSeñores Feudales: Historia social del pensamiento político desde la Antigüedad a la Edad Media. Madrid: Paidós.
  • Mellón, J.A. (ed.). (1998) Ideologías y Movimientos Políticos Contemporáneos. Madrid. Tecnos.
  • Antón Mellón, J. (2002) Las Ideas Políticas en el Siglo XXI. Barcelona: Ariel.
  • Miller, D. (1987) The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought. Oxford: Blackwell. Also available in Spanish: (1989) Enciclopedía del Pensamiento Político. Madrid. Alianza.
  • Miraut Martín, L. (2006) “Los derechos de la mujer en el feminismo moderado de John Stuart Mill”, Anuario de filosofía del derecho, Nº 23, 2006, págs. 101-130.
  • Picazo, M. (2008) Alguien se acordará de nosotras, Barcelona, Bellaterra editorial.
  • Rodríguez Palop, M-E, (2007) “La lucha por los derechos de las mujeres en el siglo XIX. Escenarios, teorías, movimientos y acciones relevantes en el ámbito angloamericano”, en Historia de los derechos fundamentales, AAVV, Madrid, Dykinson: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Instituto de Derechos Humanos Bartolomé de las Casas.
  • Rowe, C. and Schofield, M. (eds) (2000) The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought. Cambridge: CUP.
  • Sabine, G.H. Historia de la Teoría Política. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica.
  • Solana Dueso, J. (2000) El camino del ágora. Filosofía política de Protágoras de Abdera, Prensas Universitarias de Zaragoza, Zaragoza.
  • Smith, S. (2012) Political Philosophy. New Haven,CT: Yale University Press.
  • Touchard, J.  Historia de lasIdeas Políticas. Madrid: Tecnos.
  • Vallespín, F. (ed.). (1990) Historia de la Teoría Política. Madrid. Alianza.
  • Van Mill, D. (1995) “Hobbes’s Theories of Freedom”, The Journal of Politics, Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 443-459.

Software

In the case of on-line classes: Teams

PowerPoint


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(SEM) Seminars 1 English annual morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 51 Catalan annual afternoon
(TE) Theory 1 English annual morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 51 Catalan annual afternoon