Political Emotions
Affiliation
This political theory module introduces students to key philosophical debates about the role of emotions in social life. It problematises dominant views that oppose emotion to reason and offers more complex analyses of how emotions move individuals and groups to act and position themselves politically. The module starts by outlining the main approaches to the study of emotions. It then moves on to debates about rationalism in politics and social science. The bulk of the course consists of in-depth discussions of several emotions - anger, love, hate, despair, disgust, grief, and hope, among others - as related to different political issues such as: democratic participation; markers of identity such as class, race, gender, sexuality; the climate emergency; populism; authoritarianism; and political violence.
Year taken: Year 3 Undergraduate SCQF Credits: 20