S/P/350. Discuss the merits and the demerits of Rawls's incorporation of a 'veil of ignorance' into his account of the 'original position'

The paper looks at the debate around John Rawl's social contract theory examining his understanding of justice and arguing whether all humans are non-altruistic by nature and act under the 'veil of ignorance'. It is discussed whether absolute equality and freedom can exist in social and economic circumstances.

C/P/82. Gramsci and Althusser help to build a Marxist framework that considers how factors beyond the economy shape the world. Discuss their contribution to this framework

The paper examines the concepts of law, oligarchy and autonomy with reference to the theories of Marx, Gramsci and Althusser. The traditional Marxist approach is presented highlighting its failure to understand the complexity of humanity, power and self-determination, and showing the later adaptations of the Marxist framework.

S/P/186. Why study 'Limits to Capital? '

The paper examines the critique of Marx's political economy expressed in 'Limits to Capital' by David Harvey reviewing his analysis of the accumulation of capital and evaluating his contribution to the development of Marx's ideas.

S/P/182. What does it mean to say that political theory and political ideology are 'different but related'?

The paper examines the features of political ideology and political theory reviewing various approaches to both concepts and identifying similarities and differences that exist between them.

S/P/148. Compare and contrast the view of the state offered by Socialism and Anarchism

The paper examines the core concepts of socialism and anarchism offering an overview of ideas expressed by the main proponents of both ideologies, and discussing their ways of opposing the capitalist system.

S/P/145. Discuss the Characteristics of Modern Society According to Weber

The paper examines the attitudes of classical sociology towards modern society focusing on the ideas of Weber and touching on the difference between rationality and rationalisation, religion, authority, etc.

E/P/38. Compare and contrast pluralist and Marxist accounts of political power in the UK and US

The paper examines approaches to democracy expressed in the theory of Karl Marx and the theory of pluralism. The features of representative democracy in the USA and the UK are compared on the basis of the studied theories, and supported by political analysis.

S/P/149. Critically examine the usage made by Third Way thinkers of the following concepts: ideology, equality and rights

The paper examines the ideology of the 'Third Way' introduced by modern political leaders and the differences in its understanding between Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and Gerard Shroder. Criticism of the Third Way idea is reviewed.

S/P/147. Compare and contrast the Marxist theories of nationalism proposed by Benedict Anderson and Eric Hobsbawm

The paper examines the concept of nationalism providing its definitions and reviewing modern academic approaches to nationalism. The theories by Anderson and Hobsbawm are discussed and compared with the Marxist understanding of the nationalism.

E/P/35. Theoretical approaches to production

The paper examines theoretical approaches to the study of production discussing physical and economic relationships between capital and labour and addressing the issue of profit maximisation.

E/P/34. What is meant by the term 'surplus value' and to what extent is it vital to Marx's economics?

The paper examines the labour theory of value (LTV) by Karl Marx reviewing its key assumptions and focusing on the concepts of surplus value, mode of production, exploitation, etc.

E/P/33. From 'machine age' to 'information age'

The paper reviews the theories of management related to the shift from the 'machine age' to the 'information age' discussing the fundamental changes in the business environment brought about by technological innovation.

S/P/222. Thomas Aquinas: Wealth and Distributive Justice

The paper examines the principle of the equitable distribution of goods reviewing the works of Neves, J.C., Williams, T.D, and Lipidus, A. The views of the scholars on the theory of Thomas Aquinas are discussed touching on the uses of commodity goods, the system of social classes, the mechanisms of implementing justice, the modern problems of poverty, etc.

S/S/76. What is a political ideology? Do political ideologies share certain characteristics? Discuss the main beliefs and values associated with one specific political ideology, identifying the main issues with which it is concerned

The paper examines theoretical approaches to ideology identifying the roots of political ideology, considering ideologies in the historical perspective, and focusing on the ideology of environmentalism. The main ideas and themes of the environmentalist ideology are reviewed.

S/P/119. Political Obligation: Express consent theory

This paper deals with the notion of political obligation; that is, those obligations the citizen owes to the state. It contrasts two forms of consent theory – tacit consent and express consent. The paper outlines some of the classical difficulties of the express consent theory, both practical (e.g. the difficulty of dissent) and philosophical (e.g. conflicting natural and political obligations). In discussing these difficulties, the paper develops some of the advantages of express consent – the fact that it is individualist and reductionist and the important moral principles that it embodies.

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