Government & Politics

In this course, Dr Emily Jones (University of Manchester) explores the political ideas of Edmund Burke. In the first module, we offer some introductory context for the life and works of Edmund Burke, before in the second module digging deeper into...

In this course, Dr Dimova-Cookson (Durham University) explores the political ideas of Isaiah Berlin. In the first module, we give context to the life and works of Isaiah Berlin. Then, in the second module, we explore Berlin’s concept of negative...

This course explores the political ideas of Anthony Giddens and may be particularly useful for those studying the Core Political Ideas: Socialism or UK Politics components of the AQA and Edexcel Government and Politics A Level specifications. We...

This course explores the political ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft and may be particularly useful for those studying the Core Political Ideas component of the AQA and Edexcel Government and Politics A Level specifications. While she is best known as...

This course explores the political philosophy of John Locke (1632-1704), oriented around the Liberalism section of the Government and Politics A-Level specification. We begin in the first module by outlining his life and works, before moving on to...

In this course we discuss the ideolog(ies) of the contemporary Conservative party in the UK. We begin in the first lecture by exploring the complex relationship between party and ideology, before in the second lecture putting contemporary...

This course explores the political philosophy of John Rawls (1921-2002). We begin with some biographical information on Rawls, highlighting his importance and influence. This is encapsulated by Rawls’s conservative contemporary Robert Nozick’s...

This course picks up just after the proposal of a new US Constitution by the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787. We begin in the first lecture by exploring the process of state ratification and its...

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the historical background to the US Constitution, up to and including the Constitutional Convention of 1787. In the first lecture, we consider the US in 1783, at the end of the War of Independence,...

In this course, Dr David Andersen (Durham University) explores the system of primaries and caucuses – also known as the presidential nomination process – in the United States. In the first module, we are introduced to the system of presidential...

In this course, Dr Neil Cocks (University of Reading) explores the life, works, and core ideas of Ayn Rand. In the first module, we are introduced to the controversial figure of Ayn Rand and consider her influence on contemporary political life....

In this course, Professor Jeffrey Collins (Queen’s University) explores the political theory of Thomas Hobbes, primarily through his best-known work Leviathan. In the first module, we are introduced to Hobbes’s life and times, and briefly place...