PO3MAR: Karl Marx

Module code: PO3MAR

Module provider: Politics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Professor Alan Cromartie, email: a.d.t.cromartie@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Marx is probably the greatest social thinker of the last two centuries.  Parties and politicians who appeal to his ideas have in any case been central to modern politics.  But the nature of his thinking is poorly understood. On this module we read what he actually wrote and try to understand it.  We concentrate on the questions of alienation, ideology, exploitation, class struggle, and revolution, but you will emerge with a general understanding of the Marxist interpretation of history and its possible political implications. Students from all political backgrounds are welcome and vigorous dissent is encouraged; though the course pays particular attention to those features of his thought that may, perhaps, have some continuing value, it also explains the reasons for his vulnerability to liberal, conservative, feminist, and other criticisms. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Explain the most important Marxist doctrines both in the context of Marx’s own writings and later Marxist thought;
2. Relate them to Marx’s intellectual background and his historical context;
3. Relate his claims to fundamental problems within social and political theory;
4. Assess their relevance or otherwise to twenty-first century circumstances.

Module content

This module’s most important educational objective is to encourage students to wrestle with difficult texts.  The content will cover the most important writings of Karl Marx in the order they were written.  The teaching alternates conventional lectures with classes in which students work through a range of texts from Karl Marx, Selected writings, ed. David McLellan (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).  The lectures will supply essential background information about Marx’s biography, the politics of nineteenth-century Europe, the philosophy of Hegel, and the nature of economics; the classes will give opportunities both for detailed exegesis of what Marx actually wrote and detailed exegetical discussion.  There is no examination, but the module will conclude with a Long Essay (4000 words) requiring detailed knowledge of all aspects of the course. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The course will be taught through a mixture of lectures and seminars. Additional resources will include brief (5-10 minute) screencasts and two optional multiple-choice quizzes.  These supplementary materials, which are primarily aimed at weaker students, are intended to boost confidence by consolidating knowledge. 

Study hours

At least 22 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs