Now that the SQA has confirmed that one of the 20 mark essays will appear in the Political Theory unit, it is a good idea to prepare a response to the following question.

The concepts of Power, Authority and Legitimacy all remain highly relevant in the 21st century.

Discuss with reference to the ideas of Steven Lukes and Max Weber

This essay can be approached in a number of ways, but what you need to make sure of is to include the ideas of Lukes and Weber. You can write paragraphs about the faces of power according to Lukes and a paragraph about Weber's types of authority, but these need to be connected to the question asked.

Think about the relevance of Lukes' theory. Where are the faces of power seen specifically? You can use international or UK examples. Are some of his faces of power more relevant in the past or today? How are his ideas linked to the concept of legitimacy? How are they linked to authority? This is how you can gain analysis marks.

Think about the relevance of Weber's theory. Where are the types of authority seen specifically? You can use international or UK examples. Are some of his types of authority more relevant in the past or today? How are his ideas linked to the concept of legitimacy? How are they linked to power? This is how you can gain analysis marks.

Think about how consistent their theories are. Are there any limitations to their theories? Check back on your notes that you made. Are their theories relevant to only certain parts of the world or certain types of political systems (democracies, authoritarian regimes, etc)?

Are there any other theorists that you can bring in, perhaps to use as an alternative view?

Try to include detailed examples in your essay. This essay will not allow examples that are not 21st century.

We are looking for 8 knowledge points in total (a mixture of K (facts) and Kegs (examples), 6 analytical points, 4 conclusions points and 2 structure points (include a line of argument in your introduction and write in paragraphs that flow)

If you have any questions about how to approach this essay, just get in touch via email or add a comment in the space below.