Course syllabus

POLITICS 740

Revolutions, Ideas and Media

15 points

Semester Two 2018  |  Mon 9-11AM  | Room tbc

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Revolutions are politics writ large, moments when political reality and political aspirations collide and erupt in often epochal transformations. This course considers the aspirations and the reality, examining the role of revolution as an immensely influential idea (whether dream or nightmare) and hugely consequential event (whether willed, determined or contingent). In particular it probes the notion of politics ‘writ large’ – how revolutions have been shaped by the expression and circulation of ideas through print and other media.  Books, pamphlets, photographs and films can supply evidence in reflecting on the role of ideology, agency, public opinion and political culture in revolutionary change. The course’s approach involves elements of comparative historical analysis, political theory, history of political thought, political sociology and media analysis. The course begins with conceptual and methodological issues before examining particular revolutions, centrally those in seventeenth-century England, eighteenth-century America and France, and twentieth-century Russia and China. This is followed by consideration of the demise of European communism and recent Arab  revolutions as a preliminary to a concluding section, which asks whether fundamental political change remains desirable or possible in a twenty-first century context: does the dream still live, or has the nightmare ended? 

Dr Geoff Kemp

Course convenor

Room 405, Level 4, Human Sciences Building, 10 Symonds Street

g.kemp@auckland.ac.nz

(09) 373 7599 extn 88093

Office Hour: Mon 3-4pm

 

 

PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course you should possess: a broad comparative knowledge of a number of revolutions and detailed knowledge of aspects of these; an understanding of revolution and resistance as a theoretical and actors’ concept; an understanding of the interpenetration of ideas, agency and structural factors in revolutionary causation and process; knowledge of the role of the media in this nexus; an awareness of the contribution of historical revolutions to modern political culture; an appreciation of the ‘historic turn’ and ‘linguistic turn’ in the humanities and social sciences.  You should also be better equipped to: think critically and with historical sensitivity about modern politics, political change, political ideas, and the role of the media; demonstrate effective research skills, dealing efficiently and productively with a wide range of sources and information; use the spoken and written word to convey your understanding to an intelligent audience; work individually and within a group, displaying appropriate commitment to set tasks.

                                        

COURSE STRUCTURE

Requirements:  The course will consist of 12 two-hour classes, most of which will include presentations by class members, in which part of the class can be led by the presenter(s). You are expected to attend all classes and contact me if you are unavoidably absent. Assessment will be based on two essays and on a report accompanying the presentation. The first essay will count for 35% of the overall grade, the second essay for 50%, and the report for 15%.  See below, and under 'Assignments', for further information.

Reading: Weekly readings can be found on Talis and under 'Modules' on Canvas. These provide a shared basis for learning and discussion, to which class members can add the benefits of their own research and reading. A list of further reading will also be posted on Canvas, and you should feel free to ask me for advice on reading, though at this level everyone will also be able to act o on their own initiative in locating material (of an appropriately reliable and scholarly kind).

Flexibility: The course by its nature covers a substantial amount of historical and political ground. One of the tasks ahead is to render revolution manageable as well as intelligible by combining consideration of broad issues with more detailed studies. Class members are welcome to suggest and pursue particular areas of focus, within the parameters required by assessment and overall course coherence. The emphasis is on the course being a collaborative venture in which we can share the scholarly labour and learn from each other.   

SCHEDULE OF SEMINARS

See also under 'Modules', and there's a little more detail in the course syllabus here.

Seminar	Date		Topic
PART ONE: REVOLUTIONS AND MODERNITY
1	16 July	Introduction		GK
2	23 July	Revolutionary England
3	30 July	America’s Revolution
4	6 Aug	French Revolution
5	13 Aug	Marx and Revolution
		PART TWO: MODERN REVOLUTIONS
6	20 Aug	Russian Revolution I
7	10 Sept	Russian Revolution II
8	17 Sept	Chinese Revolution I
9	24 Sept	Chinese Revolution II
10	1 Oct	Late 20th-century revolutions
11	8 Oct	Early 21st-century revolutions
12	15 Oct	The Future of Revolutions? Conclusion		GK

 COURSE ASSESSMENT

See also under 'Assignments'

Presentation and report

Value:              15% of Final Grade

Due:                To be arranged

Length:           Presentation of 15 minutes plus Q&A/discussion; submit report of 800 words (approximately two sides of A4).

Topic:             An agreed topic from list of classes.        

Essay 1

Value:             35% of Final Grade

Due:                9AM Wed 19 Sept (or before). Proposal due week 5

Length:           2,000 words

Topic:             See Assignments section.       

Essay 2

Value:              50% of Final Grade

Date:               4PM Weds 31 Oct (or before). Proposal due week 9

Length:           3,200 words

Topic:             See Assignments section