This module provides a unique opportunity to study the ideas and influence of Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), the famous jurist, philosopher, and reformer.
Despite concentrating on the thought of one person, the module is surprisingly wide-ranging, since Bentham made significant contributions across a wide range of disciplines, including philosophy, history, law, politics, and economics. Bentham’s ideas are related to the social, political, and intellectual context of his own time, and an assessment made of their significance for the contemporary world.
The module is taught by scholars associated with the Bentham Project, which is currently producing a new authoritative edition of The Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham.
Module Syllabus
The syllabus is subject to change:
‘Of the farther uses of the dead to the living’: the death and life of Jeremy Bentham
A Fragment on Government
The principle of Utility
Subsistence, Abundance, Security, and Equality: the subordinate ends of utility
Bentham’s theory of punishment
Panopticon: Bentham’s prison scheme
Logic and language
The French Revolution
Parliamentary Reform
Constitutional Code
Recommended Materials
Module reading lists and other module materials will be provided via online module pages, available at the beginning of term once students have enrolled.
For each seminar, students will be guided through the relevant section of the reading list, and essential and supplementary reading assigned. Each student is expected to read the essential materials, and preferably one or more of the supplementary materials, and be prepared to discuss their thoughts and ideas in class. Students are encouraged to make class presentations and must write one formative essay each term.
Preliminery Reading
J.R. Dinwiddy, Bentham, Oxford Past Masters, Oxford, 1989; also published in J.R. Dinwiddy, Bentham: Selected Writings of John Dinwiddy, ed. W. Twining, Stanford, 2004.
Stephen Engelmann, Selected Writings: Jeremy Bentham, New Haven and London, 2011.
Philip Schofield, Bentham: A Guide for the Perplexed, London, 2009.
There is lots of information and links to resources at the Bentham Project’s website ucl.ac.uk/bentham-project
Key Information
Module details | |
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Credit value: | 22.5 credits (225 learning hours) |
Convenor: | Dr Tim Causer |
Other Teachers: | Professor Philip Schofield Dr Chris Riley Dr Peter Lythe Professor Allison Dube (Mount Royal University, visiting academic at UCL Laws 2024–5) |
Teaching Delivery: | 10 x 2 Hour Weekly Seminar, Term One and Two |
Who may enrol: | LLM Students Only |
Prerequisites: | None |
Must not be taken with: | Jeremy Bentham and the Utilitarian Tradition (LAWS0051/LAWS0230) |
Qualifying module for: | LLM in Jurisprudence and Legal Theory; LLM in Legal History |
Assessment | |
Practice Assessment: | One formative essay |
Final Assessment: | Controlled Condition Exam (100%) |