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Unit of study_
GOVT2112: Introduction to Political Theory
2025 unit information
Political theory helps us to better understand the ideas that have shaped our politics, including freedom, equality, power, and justice. This unit of study will introduce students to major ideas and primary texts from the Western tradition of political thought. Authors may include Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, Marx, Arendt, Foucault, and Rawls.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Government and International Relations |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 1000 level from Philosophy, Government and International Relations, Politics, International Relations |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. contrast the following major political theorists: Plato, Tocqueville, and Rawls
- LO2. develop critical reading skills of primary texts.
- LO3. analyse core concepts in modern political theory, such as power, consent, sovereignty, rights, democracy, equality, justice, and pluralism
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
