Module manager: Dr Maša Mrovlje
Email: M.Mrovlje@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is approved as a discovery module
This module addresses the complexities, challenges and dilemmas involved in resisting oppression, including those that have been neglected in hegemonic visions of resistance. We will be looking at some of the key ways in which resistance has sought to challenge the existing relations of power and inequality as well as some of the difficulties that arise when trying to challenge status quo. We will do that by examining a range of thinkers coming from Marxist, decolonial, feminist, postcolonial, existential, and intersectional perspectives.
The module addresses the key complexities, challenges and dilemmas involved in resisting oppression. The objectives of the module are:
To introduce students to the complexities and challenges of thinking about resistance and political action more broadly.
To enable students to develop an ability to critically engage with complex ideas through reading and analysing both primary texts and secondary sources.
To develop students' understanding (i.e. a knowledge of structure and connections and an ability to ask new and relevant questions about this structure) of the links between the political ideas examined here, and the past and present examples of resistance.
To challenge students to develop a critical understanding of the theoretical assumptions underpinning different arguments on the themes covered in the course.
Command a range of research and transferable skills necessary to write a seminar paper and participate in class discussions.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1.Critically analyse key ideas and texts of the thinkers under review, and evaluate the traditions of thought they represent.
2.Explain how the primary political ideas of these thinkers interconnect and assess their relationship to wider problems and radical alternatives.
3.Interpret and evaluate the problems addressed in the texts and assess their relevance for contemporary and conventional views of politics.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1.Identify and retrieve relevant academic sources using digital databases and online platforms
2. Communicate complex information, ideas, and theories clearly and effectively in written and formats.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Lecture | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Seminar | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Private study hours | 171 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 29 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
A formal formative assessment opportunity will be provided for the summative assessment task, which is specifically pedagogically aligned to that task. As part of this, each student will receive feedback designed to support the development of knowledge and skills that will be later assessed in the summative task.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | - | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team