The prescribed textbook in this module is: Heywood, A. 2019. Politics (5th edition) New York: Palgrave Foundations
There are additional compulsory readings that will be uploaded to Blackboard
What to expect?
2 lectures a week
Tutorial Sessions
Online Tutorial Activities
Consultations with your lecturers
Independent study with your textbook & other prescribed material
Assessments
Test 1 – 20%
Test 2 – 20%
Assignment – 40%
Tutorial Activities – 20%
All assessment activities are compulsory. Failure to participate in, or complete any of these activities, will result in a student being awarded a mark of "incomplete" for the course
Units
UNIT 1: Politics: A Conceptualisation
UNIT 2: Political Systems and the State
UNIT 3: Identity- and Gender Politics
UNIT 4: The Organisation of Government
UNIT 5: Constitutions and the Law
UNIT 6: Political Parties
Aristotle: ''MAN IS BY NATURE A POLITICAL ANIMAL''
People will always disagree when it comes to politics
The inescapable presence of diversity (people differ) and scarcity (there is never enough to go around)
The beauty of politics – embracing a range of theoretical understandings about the world we live in
Politics
Activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live
'Politics' with a capital P is clearly the study of this activity
Politics
Linked to conflict and co-operation – the heart of politics is conflict resolution
People realize that they need to co-operate in order to influence rules or ensure that rules are upheld
Politics
A loaded term – comes with pre-conceptions of bias and being a 'dirty word'
No agreed understanding of what politics (the subject) is about - due to people understanding and defining it differently
Problems arise when we attempt to unpack the definition
Broad approaches to defining politics
Arena / location – behavior becomes political because of where it takes place
Process / mechanism – behavior that has distinctive characteristics / qualities and takes place in all social contexts
Politics as an art of government
The exercising of control through making and enforcement of collective decisions
The word 'politics'
Originates from the Greek word, Polis – meaning 'city state'
Politics
The affairs of the polis – essentially, the affairs of the state
To study politics
To study government & study the exercise of authority
David Easton's definition of politics
The authoritative allocation of values: government response to pressures from society by allocating benefits, rewards or penalties
This definition is however restricted – politics is thus what takes place within a polity (the machinery of government)
Politics is therefore only practiced by a select (elected) few: Anything other than this – "outside politics"
Politics is essentially state- centric and ignores global influences
What politics is often defined by who politics is – politicians
Lord Acton (1834 – 1902): 'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'
Politics as public affairs
A broader concept of politics: not just government but the realm of public life/affairs
Aristotle: Man is a political animal
Politics as public affairs
People can only have a 'good life' Within a political community
Politics as public affairs
Politics is thus seen as an ethical activity that is focused on the creation of a 'just society'
Division between the political and the personal
Civil society is different from the state – some institutions are thought of as 'public'
Feminist argument: Politics is present in the family, domestic life or in a personal relationship
Hannah Arendt (1906 – 1975): 'Politics is the most important form of human activity because it involves interaction amongst free and equal citizens'
Politics gives life meaning and forms part of what makes us unique individuals
Politics as compromise & consensus
Relates to the way in which decisions in politics are made
Politics as compromise & consensus
Political solution implies peaceful debate and arbitration as opposed to a military solution