The twentieth century was convulsed by two world wars, the invention of the atom bomb and the conflict between capitalism and communism. This turbulent century also gave rise to the ideas that still shape the modern world - in philosophy, science, the social sciences and psychology.  In politics Marxism, Liberalism and Fascism were later joined by feminism and environmentalism. Discover the ideas of some of the century's leading thinkers including Einstein, Freud, Lenin, John Maynard Keynes, Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Martin Heidegger, Simone de Beauvoir, and Michel Foucault.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• Peter Watson, Ideas: A History from Fire to Freud, 2005, ISBN: 9780753820896
• Frederick Copleston, History of Philosophy: The condensed Copleston, Bloomsbury, 2025, ISBN: 9781472950758
• Leszek Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism, 2005, ISBN: 9780393329438

COURSE OUTLINE

• The social and political context of the twentieth century
• The century’s leading theories as they relate to philosophy, science, society and politics
• How our understanding of the physical world and human psychology was transformed during the century
• Consideration of the leading concepts of liberalism, Marxism, nationalism, feminism and environmentalism in political thought
• An introduction to the ideas of leading thinkers, including Einstein, Freud, Keynes, Russell, Wittgenstein, de Beauvoir and Foucault
• Reflection on how relevant remain the theories and values developed during the C20th and whether they have been superseded

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:  

1. Explain the significance of the C20th in the development of modern thought
2. Understand the key concepts developed by C20th thinkers to explain the physical world and human society
3. Assess the strengths and limits of C20th ideas, especially in their political context
4. Think critically about the continuing relevance of C20th ideas and the extent to which they remain valid today.