An Online Discussion Contribution, including an element directed towards preparation for the essay, weighted at 30%.
- Participation (30%) You are required to participate in and contribute substantially to the discussion forum, in most weeks of the teaching cycle. Approximately 2000 words. (learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4).

An ESSAY length 5000 WORDS weighted at 70%.
- 1 x 5000 word essay (70%) The essay will require you to show your overall appreciation of the concerns of the module. It will enable you to demonstrate your comprehensive understanding of the module and your flexibility in applying your knowledge to specific concerns. (learning outcomes 1-4).

The main focus will be on guided independent studey within a tightly structured framework, starting from reading and research materials supplied. Week by week you will work through self-instructional course materials ('lectures' and associated files, delivered via blackboard), which provide the framework and focus for reading key texts, and undertaking the specific tasks set. This work will be undertaken on an individual basis, but you will be expected regularly to interact with fellow students, and tutors, or guest lecturers through the discussion forum. The time spent reading supplied 'lectures' and contributing to the discussion forum will likely be 36 hours over the course of the term. The module will run over 16 weeks; 12 weeks of guided instruction and discussion, plus 4 weeks to complete assessments.

A computer with internet connection for accessing Blackboard..
Course texts and course learning pack
Library resources including books, journals, data bases cd-rom, websites, ejournals, ebrary and other electronic resources.
IT facilities including word processing.

Knowledge and politics have been closely related since Plato¿s Republic. However, their relation has become more problematic than ever in late modernity, giving rise to divergent approaches. A key question is whether it is possible in principle to achieve knowledge in a way that is free from power relations and therefore non-political. The module will examine one or more approaches; e.g. the work of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory (e.g. that of Jürgen Habermas), and French authors such as Jean-François Lyotard and Michel Foucault. With regard to the latter, the significance of work in French epistemology will be taken into account (e.g. that of Gaston Bachelard and Georges Canguilhem), with a view to evaluating the extent to which knowledge always already has a political dimension.

Jürgen Habermas, The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity (MIT Press, 1990)
Jean-François Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (University of Minnesota Press, 1984).
Michel Foucault, The Essential Works of Foucault 1954-1984 Vol 2 Aesthetics (Penguin, 1998).
Gaston Bachelard, The New Scientific Spirit (Beacon Press, 1986).
Georges Canguilhem, A Vital Rationalist (Zone Books, 2000).

These indicate the range of texts the module might cover. This is not meant to be a recommended or required book list. Please consult the module tutor for required books.