SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER HYDROLOGY|HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES

GEOG0026 Surface and Groundwater Hydrology is designed to develop students’ understanding of hydrological processes with a specific focus on the surface...

Surface and Groundwater Hydrology (GEOG0026)

GEOG0017 Physical Geography Field Research is normally based around a residential field class supported by preparatory and follow-up lectures / practicals. The...

Physical Geography Field Research (GEOG0017)

This is a final-year option for students who are interested in political ideas and who wish to understand how those ideas are born and shape political conducts...

Ideologies and Political Hegemony (ESPS0017)

This is a final-year option for students who are interested in political ideas and who wish to understand how those ideas are born and shape political conducts or influence paradigmatic shifts in the domain of policy making.
The course starts from two basic propositions: firstly, the notion of a post-ideological society is a false one, and ideologies remain important to political action. Secondly, traditional major ideologies such as Liberalism, Conservatism and Socialism need to be re-examined in a new light as they have been complemented, challenged and transformed by new ideas and new political practices over the past decades. 
Political forces compete to offer a convincing narrative to the public. They therefore use ideologies to justify their actions and policies. A successful ideology is one whose narrative is taken for granted by a majority of the population . Ideologies may therefore be about control and domination, i.e. political hegemony.
However, ideologies do not boil down to power and domination. It is possible to view ideologies as a more or less coherent set of ideas which can be scientifically studied.  In this perspective, ideologies should be seen as a tool which offers an interpretation of the world (past, present and future).
This module will proceed to introduce the main ideologies: Conservatism, Liberalism and Socialism. Contemporary ideologies are in turn presented and studied: Fascism, Neoliberalism, Green politics, Feminism and gender politics, as well as populism. Some new ideologies directly challenge traditional ideologies; others overlap, simply complement them, or can only be considered as 'thin-centred' ideologies. 
The different ideologies will be discussed from a theoretical point of view with reference to major authors and political theory and political science literature. Case studies will also be taken to shed light on some topical debates in various national contexts.