Overview

POLI 307 presents a broad survey of the major political ideologies of modern times, situated within the context of their historical development. The course first examines the nineteenth-century ideologies of capitalism, liberalism, and democracy followed by anti-liberal and anti-capitalist ideologies—conservatism, anarchism, utopianism, scientific Marxism, and nationalism.

The age of mass twentieth-century ideologies of contemporary liberal democracy, social democracy, Marxist-Leninism, and fascism and national socialism are then examined along with major ideologies and discourses from the Third World.

Finally, the course considers contemporary ideological currents, the search for community, post-materialism, post-modernism, and the new social movements—feminism and environmentalism.

Outline

Evaluation

To receive credit for POLI 307, you must complete successfully the following assignments and achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent). You must achieve a grade of “D” (50 percent) or better on the final examination. The weighting of the assignments is as follows:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

The course materials include a study guide, a student manual, and a book of readings.