166-042 Power: Doing Political Analysis

Formerly available as 166-271/371. Students who have completed 166-271 or 166-371 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

Usually 25 points of first-year politics

Power is a strong idea. From grand abstractions to the micro-capillaries of human interaction, power seems to be all pervasive. This subject examines some of the major paradigms of power, how they problematise the issue of power and what kinds of research programs they generate. The subject is research-orientated with particular emphasis placed on the framing and execution of problem-driven analytical research. It will introduce students to a number of basic research skills for the critical analysis of political phenomena. On completion of the subject students should have a working knowledge of the main paradigms of power; have a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each of these paradigms; and be able to critically employ one or more of these paradigms in the framing of a research project.