The Bauman Institute

MA Social and Political Thought

If you are interested in developing an advanced grounding in social and political theory …

• And wish to explore a sophisticated range of concepts, methods and substantive debates relevant to understanding societies and everyday life in the twenty-first century …

If you want to be a part of the new and prestigious Bauman Institute at Leeds and contribute to a vibrant academic culture at the forefront of global debates …

• And wish to develop independent learning skills, such as critical thinking and self-management appropriate for employment in a higher capacity in industry or an area of professional practice…

… then MA Social and Political Thought is the programme for you.

MA Social and Political Thought is available on a 12-month full-time or 24-month part-time basis. The course has five modules: three compulsory and two elective options.

Compulsory Modules

In Contemporary Social Thought, you will gain an advanced grounding in social and political theory. The module provides a space for encountering and reflecting upon different theoretical approaches within contemporary social thought in order to illuminate current social trends and issues within our globalised societies.

The module is team-taught by recognized experts from across the campus to provide you with a first class encounter with a number of major theoretical approaches, including: Classical Sociology; the Frankfurt School; Structuration Theory; Contemporary Critical Theory; Deleuzian social theory; Globalization; Postmodernism; and the work of Slavoj Žižek.

The aim of the module is to introduce students to the rich variety of sociological, social and political thought at an advanced level. The module will foster a critical approach to this body of theoretical work in order to allow students to develop a critical understanding of contemporary social and political life.

The module aims to develop and to extend theoretical ideas in a number of areas and to provide students with the conceptual tools required for a robust analysis of all contemporary social and political problems.

Critical Theory introduces students to issues resurfacing in contemporary social and political thought. The module intends to provide a space for encountering and reflecting upon different interpretations of Critical Theory in order to illuminate current social trends and issues within global capitalist societies.

Beginning with a consideration of the enduring relevance of Karl Marx, the module investigates a series of approaches with the tradition of Critical Theory, including: Max Horkheimer; Theodor Adorno; Walter Benjamin; Erich Fromm; Herbert Marcuse; Jürgen Habermas; Seyla Benhabib; Agnes Heller; and Slavoj Žižek .

The aim of the module is to introduce students to past and present interpretations of Critical Theory at an advanced level in order to provide an evaluative platform upon which this tradition of thought can be situated and judged in terms of its relevance to social and political relations in the 21st Century.

The Social and Political Thought Dissertation allows you to tailor your own programme of training and research under the supervision of a relevant academic member of staff from the School of Sociology and Social Policy.

This extended piece of assessed work provides you with the opportunity to develop further the themes encountered on the MA programme in order to produce a 12,000 word dissertation on a relevant topic of your own choosing.