Many people think that they know what Politics is. It is incredibly difficult to define, however. Some theorists, such as Saint Augustine believed that Politics is a 'regrettable necessity' while others, notably Bernard Crick contended that Politics is a process, a means of resolving conflict by peaceful means. In contrast, Howard Lasswell asserted that Politics is about power and is a study of power relationships. 

What we need to accept at this point is that Politics touches every aspect of every citizen's life. Studying Politics as a subject therefore is studying how life works and how the world is organised.

This course is ideal for students interested in life, society, global issues, international relations and the law. As students work through this course many decide to continue studying Politics or a related subject at college or university. If you would like some advice on this, just get in touch.

To begin with, let us embark upon some structured reading. There are a number of specific terms that will be used throughout this course and the ideas of theorists will be referenced where appropriate. It is a good idea to begin with a short chapter from Harrison and Boyd's book, 'Political Ideas and Movements' (2003). The relevant pages are attached to this post.

In this chapter you will encounter a number of theorists' views about politics, power and justice.

1. Once you have read the text, comment below to identify which theorists' interpretation of Politics (pp.3-6) you find most compelling, interesting or that you agree with. Give a justification for your response.

2. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote that 'It is necessary for anyone establishing a state and setting down its laws to presuppose that all people are evil, and that they will always act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they get the chance'. This feels like a very pessimistic view of human nature, but if you believed this to be true, what role could or should governments or leaders (monarchs, prime ministers, presidents etc) play in balancing out such selfish behaviour? Could politics 'save' the people from themselves?

3. Look at the quote from Greek - Statesman, Perricles (495 BC - 429 BC) below. Do you think that he is correct? Justify your response.

Leave your responses to the three questions above in the comments below:

This section will begin with an exploration of the different ways that power can manifest itself in the world. Although this is not an examinable aspect of the course, these initial video lessons will provide you with relevant examples of contemporary political situations and decision-making.

The videos will also provide you with some topic ideas for the Assignment. They will also hopefully make you think about the world around you and help you to understand how historic political decisions impact the world today.

The videos that follow will help you understand international relations and this may prompt an interest in studying this academic subject at college or university. At the very least you will gain a greater understanding of the balance of global power which will help you to learn to live within the environmental limits of our planet and to build a just, equitable and peaceful society.

This first video explores the notion of political power. It discusses the impact that historic political decision making had and continues to have on the world today. The main themes explored in this video are the British Empire, the division of the Middle East, the rise of international terrorism, the Balfour Declaration, the Arab-Israeli Conflict, controversial statues, the international community, US-Israeli relations, the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, Covid-19 and Sino-US relations. 

If you are interested in undertaking further reading on some of the issues covered in this video, follow the links below:

• The Balfour Declaration 

• The Sykes-Picot Agreement 

• Israel-Gaza Conflicts 

• Hamas 

• United Nations 

• The British Empire 

• The World Health Organisation 

• Covid-19 

• The Iron Dome 

• Sino-US relations 

• Noam Chomsky 

• 
  

There are two articles that may be of interest to you on the issue of colonialism. These are attached to the top of this post.

Once you have watched the video, try to construct three questions that you would like to ask as a result. Use three of the following questions starters:

• Why....?
• How would it be different if....?
• What are the reasons....?
• Suppose that....?
• What if....?
• What if we knew....?
• What is the purpose of....?
• What would change if....?

What new ideas or perceptions do you have about political decision making that you did not have before watching this video?

Post your three questions and your response to the question above in the space below:

This video explores race as a power relationship. Topics discussed include the Black Lives Matter global movement, the murder of George Floyd, President Trump's reaction to Floyd's death, the Atlantic Slave Trade, Jim Crow Laws, the KKK, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Booker T. Washington, Black Panthers, 1968 Olympic, the Windrush Scandal, the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the writing of Robin DiAngelo, Audre Lorde and George Moses Horton.

If you are interested in undertaking further reading about some of the issues raised in this video, follow the links below:

• Gregory Smithsimon's Aeon article on race and power 

• Windrush Scandal 

• The Atlantic Slave Trade 

• Stephen Lawrence 

• The Macpherson Report 

• Malcolm X 

• Rosa Parks 

• Martin Luther King 

• Robin DiAngelo 

• Booker T. Washington 

• 1968 Olympics 

• Black Panthers 

• KKK 

• Jim Crow Laws 

• Black Lives Matter 

• Indian Removal Act, 1830 

• Rayshard Brooks 

• Breonna Taylor 

• Audre Lorde 

• Cecil Rhodes Statue 

• Edward Colston Statue 

• George Floyd 

• Trayvon Martin 

• 
  

Once you have watched the video, try to construct three questions that you would like to ask as a result. Use three of the following questions starters to get you started:

• Why....?
• How would it be different if....?
• What are the reasons....?
• Suppose that....?
• What if....?
• What if we knew....?
• What is the purpose of....?
• What would change if....?

What new ideas or perceptions do you have about political decision making that you did not have before watching this video?

Post your three questions and your response to the question above in the space below:

We are now going to move on to look at the political concepts of power and justice.

Using the same pdf as we used for Task 1, read pages 6-9.

Consider the following three questions and post your views in the comments below:

1. Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan during a period of significant social and political upheaval. Do you think that the context in which a political theorist is writing is important in shaping their views? If so, how do you think Hobbes was influenced by the English Civil War and the Thirty Years War?

2. What did Karl Marx assert was central to the understanding of power? Can this be said to be true today?

3. Thrasymachus defined justice as simply whatever the strongest in society claims it to be. How far do you agree with his view? Are there any examples that support his view of justice today?

This task links to the SQA Course Assessment Specification (CAS): Power - different definitions of power & the conflict view of power and differing interpretations of how power is distributed in society.

The pdf attached above offers a comprehensive set of class notes for the Power, Authority and Legitimacy section of the first theme of study in the Political Theory unit of the Higher Politics Course.

You should read through the notes provided and make your own notes from them. You may also wish to access the following Prezi presentation that supports the notes. There are questions on page 11 of the notes which you are welcome to answer. Simply upload your responses to your student folder.

You may also find this short video on the three dimensions of power from The University of Toronto useful to watch.

This task links to the SQA Course Assessment Specification (CAS): Power -  Steven Lukes’ ‘three faces of power’: decision making, non-decision making and manipulating desires

Steven Lukes (2004) offers three explanations of how decisions in political settings are likely to be made. Each of these decision models emerges from three competing views of power - what power is, how it should be used, its limits, and its application in different settings.  

1. Power as open face or decision making: the ability to affect the content of public policy (what governments actually do) Access the short e-textbook on the Open Face here (also attached above as a pdf to download)
2. Power as agenda-setting: the ability to influence the issues and proposals that are discussed (what is on, or off, the political agenda) Access the short e-textbook on the agenda setting face here (also attached above as a pdf to download)
3. Power as manipulating desires: the ability to shape popular beliefs, values and ideas (what people think) Access the short e-textbook on the manipulating desires face here (also attached above as a pdf to download)

Do you think that Lukes' theory on power is relevant today? Are some faces of power more relevant than others in the 21st century? Try to give relevant examples to support your views. Please post your views in the comments below:

This task links to the SQA Course Assessment Specification (CAS):  Authority - authority as rightful power which implies an obligation to obey, Max Weber’s three types of authority: traditional, charismatic and legal-rational. Legitimacy:the sense of rightfulness, the relevance of Max Weber’s classifications, the ways in which legitimacy may be enabled, the impact on a political system of the loss of legitimacy.

You may find the video above helpful in understanding Max Weber's types of authority.

Read the following response to the question: 'Analyse the relevance of Max Weber's types of authority'. This is an examination-style question.  

As you read through the text attached to this post above, select the points that you believe are facts and examples. You could present them underneath the headings,  'Knowledge - Facts' and 'Knowledge – Examples' 

You should then identify the points in the text that look more like a comment about the relevance of Weber's types of authority. These sentences will look and sound different to the knowledge points that are made up of facts and examples. Write these under the heading, 'Analysis'. 

Watch the Prezi presentation and think about the points made about the limitations of Weber's theories about authority. Note these points in your notes under the heading, 'Limitations'.

You may also wish to undertake some additional wider reading about the relevance of Weber's theories of authority in the 21st century.

You should expect to spend between 45 and 60 minutes on this task.

You should upload your notes to your student folder. 

You are going to attempt the following question which is taken from the 2019 Past Paper:

Analyse the concept of power with reference to the work of Steven Lukes.

(12 marks)

You should re-visit the notes that you have made on Lukes' theory of power and write a response. You should upload your work to your student folder.

You can explore the specific guidelines here.

Skills link: drawing on knowledge and understanding that is factual, theoretical and conceptual, and adopting a comparative approach where appropriate, explaining, analysing and evaluating complex political issues, drawing detailed and balanced conclusions about complex political issues and comparing information about political theories.