Programme of Study Handbook - MA Philosophy, MA Applied Philosophy, MA European Philosophy

8/10/2019 Programme of Study Handbook - MA Philosophy, MA Applied Philosophy, MA European Philosophy

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PROGRAMME OF STUDY HANDBOOK

MA PHILOSOPHY

MA APPLIED PHILOSOPHY

MA EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHY

SCHOOL OF CULTURAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

2013-2014


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CONTENTS PAGE

............................................................ 0

CONTENTS PAGE ............................................................................................. 1INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1

CURRENT MEMBERS OF STAFF ............................................................................. 2

Pastoral Support ......................................................................................................... 2

Administrative Contacts............................................................................................. 2

Canterbury Building................................................................................................... 2

ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014 ................................................................................ 3

Extenuating Circumstances ........................................................................................ 3Special needs in terms of assessment ......................................................................... 4

Programme of Study (course) .................................................................................... 4

Module ....................................................................................................................... 4

Module Credit Rating ................................................................................................ 4

Level of Study ............................................................................................................ 4

Credit and Qualification Framework for Wales Level Descriptors, February 2009 .. 4

ASSESSMENT .............................................................................................................. 5

ETHICS STATEMENT ............................................................................................. 6

Programme SpecificationMA Philosophy ................................................................. 7

Programme SpecificationMA Applied Philosophy ................................................... 9

Programme Specification - MA European Philosophy ................................................ 11

PROGRAMMES OF STUDY GRIDS ........................................................................ 12

VLE (VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT) ..................................................... 13

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS TAKING THE MODULE

THROUGH DISTANCE LEARNING ........................................................................ 14

ASSESSMENT OF PART I ........................................................................................ 14

COURSEWORK DEADLINES .................................................................................. 15

DISSERTATION/PORTFOLIO PREPARATION AND ASSESSMENT ............. 15

DISSERTATION ..................................................................................................... 16

Module Descriptors ...................................................................................................... 16

TITLE: Philosophy of Religion ....................................................................... 21

TITLE:

Mind and Body ................................................................................... 24

TITLE: Moral Philosophy ................................................................................ 27

TITLE: Social and Political Philosophy .......................................................... 29

TITLE:

Knowledge and Culture ...................................................................... 34

TITLE: Self and Society .................................................................................. 36

TITLE:

Applied Ethics ..................................................................................... 39

TITLE: 19thCentury Continental Philosophy .................................................. 41

TITLE:

20thCentury Continental Philosophy .................................................. 43

TITLE:

Philosophical Methods and Approaches ............................................. 45

TITLE: Dissertation ......................................................................................... 48

POLICIES .................................................................................................................... 50


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UNIVERSITY ATTENDANCE POLICY (FOR FULL-TIME ON CAMPUS

STUDENTS) ............................................................................................................ 50

REFERENCING IN WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS, CREATIVE WORK,

DISSERTATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES ........................................................... 50

PLAGIARISM ......................................................................................................... 50

Study Skills and Information Research Skills ......................................................... 52

Librarian ................................................................................................................... 53

GRADUATE SKILLS FOR EMPLOYMENT ........................................................... 53

Problem Solving....................................................................................................... 53

Managing/Organising .............................................................................................. 53

Team Work .............................................................................................................. 54

Communication ........................................................................................................ 54

EXTERNAL EXAMINER .......................................................................................... 55


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INTRODUCTION

This handbook provides you with detailed information about your course, orProgramme of Study, and about the modules that will be offered for study inthe academic year 2013-2014.

The University has made every effort to make the information as full and asaccurate as possible, but you should note that minor changes in theorganisation of modules between the planning stage and the actual teachingare inevitable. We shall try to keep any such changes to a minimum, and youwill receive plenty of advance warning in the event of any alteration. Wewould also be grateful if you would let us know about any changes that youthink might be helpful if introduced into future handbooks.

Please read this Handbook in conjunction with other documents produced by

the Faculty and University:

Module Handbook

Postgraduate Student Guide (to include regulations)

Distance Learning Student Guide

Reference Guide

Faculty Policies

The above documents and the following useful documents can be found in thefollowing locations:

Assignment Submission Forms Faculty of Humanities Moodle Page

Change of Module Form Registry section of the UniversitysWebsite

Extenuating Circumstances Form Quality Assurance section of theUniversitys website

Faculty Policies Faculty of Humanities Moodle page

Module Handbook Module page on Moodle. Your

module tutor will help direct you tothis.

Reference Guides Faculty of Humanities Moodle page

Student Guide Faculty of Humanities Moodle page


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CURRENT MEMBERS OF STAFF

Head of School: Dr Paul Wright

The following members of staff will be teaching on your Programme of Study:

Dr Tristan Nash Programme DirectorMA Philosophy

01570424846

[email protected]

Dr David Morgans Programme DirectorMA Applied Philosophy

01570424800

[email protected]

Dr James Luchte /Dr David Morgans

Programme DirectorMA European Philosophy

01570424715/424800

[email protected]

Dr Rebekah Humphreys Lecturer in Philosophy [email protected]

Prof. David Cockburn Lecturer in Philosophy [email protected]

Pastoral Support

The Programme Director for your programme will act as a point of first contactfor all pastoral support issues. Details of the arrangements for PastoralSupport are contained in the University Regulations Postgraduate StudentGuide,and reference is also made to it in the Student Survival Guide.

Administrative Contacts

The Faculty Office administrative contact for your School is Andrea Lewis([email protected]). The Faculty Office is based in the CanterburyBuilding. Please get in touch with your administrative contact if you have anygeneral queries about your programme of study.

Canterbury Building

You will also find the following administrative support units within theCanterbury Building:

Finance ([email protected]) Registry ([email protected]) Accommodation ([email protected]) Student Services and Student Support ([email protected]) Careers/Go Wales International Office ([email protected]) Postgraduate Research Office ([email protected])

The Canterbury Building is open between 9 a.m. and 5.00 p.m., Monday toFriday.


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ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

The academic year 2013/2014 will be divided up as follows:

For Carmarthen/Lampeter

Induction Session: Week of 23 September 2013

Semester 1: 23/09/1324/01/14

Semester 2: 27/01/1411/07/14

Examination Boards: normally September, December, March and Juneannually

It is vitally important that the University Registry has an accurate record of

your personal details at all times. It is equally important to ensure that you areregistered on the correct Programme of Study and on the correct modules.Each academic year, you will need to register as a student andyou will needto register on the modules that you will be studying during the academic year.Failure to register properly or to inform the Registry of any changes to yourpersonal details is likely to cause some or all of the following problems: failure to keep you generally informed; not being able to borrow materials from the Learning Resources Centre; not being able to use the Information Technology services; failure to contact you in an emergency; delay in progressing from Part I to Part II; delay in graduation as a result of not completing sufficient credits at the

correct level; general inefficiencies in administrative processes resulting in delays for

other students.

Extenuating CircumstancesIf you believe that there are extenuating circumstances which may haveadversely affected your ability to complete coursework or examinations, youshould follow the Universitys procedures for Extenuating Circumstances forTaught Provision. A copy of the form (appendix GA1) is available on the

Faculty of Humanities page on Moodle and on the Quality Assurance page ofthe Intranet. Please be aware that your doctor may charge a fee forproducing a Medical Certificate if you have been ill for less than 7 days. Sincecoursework assessment tasks are set at the start of each Semester, it shouldbe possible for you to plan your work in such a way that production of aMedical Certificate is unnecessary unless you have been ill for more than 7days. In other words, you should aim wherever possible to complete eachcoursework assessment task at least a week before the hand in date. If youneed advice with completing the extenuating circumstances form pleasecontact your Programme Director.


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Special needs in terms of assessment

If you have any special needs in terms of assessment, it is your responsibilityto liaise with Student Services regarding those needs at the start of theacademic year, so that a Statement of Compensatory Measures can be

drafted in line with the Universitys procedures for assessment of studentswith special needs.

Programme of Study (course)

A Programme of Study or course is the collection of modules leading to aparticular award.

Module

A module is an academically coherent unit of learning activity with defined

aims/learning outcomes, content and assessment scheme.

Module Credit Rating

Every module has a credit rating. Credit is an award made to a learner inrecognition of the verified achievement of designated learning outcomes at aspecified level.

Level of Study

A level is assigned to each module to define the standard of its academicdemand. The basic characteristics of study at Masters level, which is calledLevel 7 in the National Qualifications Framework, may be defined as follows:

Achievement at Level 7 reflects the ability to reformulate and use relevantunderstanding, methodologies and approaches to address problematicsituations that involve many interacting factors. It includes taking responsibilityfor planning and developing courses of action that initiate or underpinsubstantial change or development, as well as exercising broad autonomyand judgement. It also reflects an understanding of the relevant theoreticaland methodological perspectives and how they affect their area of study or

work.

Credit and Qualification Framework for Wales Level Descriptors, February 2009

Level Summary Knowledge andUnderstanding

Applicationand Action

AutonomyandAccountability

7 Achievement atLevel 7 reflectsthe ability toreformulate and

use relevantunderstanding,

Reformulate anduse practical,conceptual ortechnological

understanding tocreate ways

Conceptualiseand addressproblematicsituations that

involve manyinteracting

Takeresponsibilityfor planningand developing

courses ofaction that


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methodologiesandapproaches toaddressproblematic

situations thatinvolve manyinteractingfactors. Itincludes takingresponsibilityfor planningand developingcourses ofaction thatinitiate or

underpinsubstantialchange ordevelopment,as well asexercisingbroadautonomy andjudgement. Italso reflects anunderstandingof the relevanttheoretical andmethodologicalperspectivesand how theyaffect their areaof study orwork.

forward incontexts in whichthere are manyinteractingfactors.

Criticallyanalyse, interpretand evaluatecomplexinformation,concepts andtheories toproduce modifiedconceptions.

Understand thewider contexts inwhich the area ofstudy or work islocated.

Understandcurrentdevelopments inthe area of studyor work.

Understanddifferenttheoretical andmethodologicalperspectives andhow they affectthe area of studyor work.

factors.

Determine anduseappropriate

methodologiesandapproaches.

Design andundertakeresearch,developmentor strategicactivities toinform the

area of work orstudy orproduceorganisationalor professionalchange.

Criticallyevaluateactions,methods andresults andtheir short-and long-termimplications.

initiate orunderpinsubstantialchanges ordevelopments

Exercise broadautonomy andjudgementacross asignificant areaof work orstudy.

Initiate andlead complex

tasks andprocesses,takingresponsibility,where relevant,for the workand roles ofothers.

Students should note that the expectations and demands of work at Level 7 ishigher than those at undergraduate Levels 4-6, and that this will be reflectedin the assessment and marking of the module assessments.

ASSESSMENT

At the start of each module, tutors will provide full details of the means bywhich you will be assessed in that module. This will include clear guidelineson the criteria that will be used for marking your work.

If you have registered on Welsh-medium modules, you will normally be

required to complete the assessment through the medium of Welsh.Whenever possible, and subject to the constraints of the programme aims,


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students following modules delivered through the medium of English may beassessed through the medium of Welsh if they wish to do so.

You will receive a transcript of your assessment marks at the end of eachacademic year. Note that any marks released prior to formal approval by the

Progression / Award Examining Board are provisional.

ETHICS STATEMENT

Before beginning on an MA Dissertation, all Postgraduate students mustcomplete the relevant Ethics Form and submit back to their ProgrammeDirector. This will be done as part of, and at the same time, as the process bywhich Students reach agreement with their Programme Director over thechoice of their Dissertation topic. The Programme Director will need to signoff the Ethics form and return to the student, before work on the dissertation

can commence. Alternatively the Programme Director may submit the Ethicsform to the Universitys Research Degrees Committee for authorisation. Forfurther details and advice please speak to your Programme Director. A copyof the the relevant Ethics Form can be found on the Faculty of HumanitiesMoodle Page.


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Programme Specification MA Philosophy

Educational AimsThe aims of the programme are to:

Provide students with a systematic and critically aware understanding

of current problems and recent insights in key areas of Philosophy. Provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of key texts in core

area of Philosophy (such as philosophy of mind and moral philosophy),and the various methodologies used in constructing and/or criticisingphilosophical ideas.

Develop students intellectual skills, including critical reasoning,analysis, creativity and reflection.

Enhance students transferable skills of research, interpretation, andcritical assessment.

Programme OutcomesThe various learning outcomes for the MA Philosophy can be grouped underfour headings: Knowledge and Understanding, Intellectual Skills, PracticalSkills, and Transferable Skills.

Knowledge and UnderstandingUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:

Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of key themes, debatesand thinking in modern Philosophy.

Demonstrate familiarity with, and an advanced understanding of, key

texts in modern Philosophy. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of various philosophical

methodologies.

Intellectual SkillsUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:

Demonstrate the ability to evaluate critically concepts, arguments andtheories encountered in the programme, including those found at theforefront of current philosophical research.

Demonstrate the ability to synthesise information and ideas from a

variety of philosophical sources. Demonstrate the ability to interpret and critically analyse philosophical

texts.

Demonstrate the ability to defend hypotheses, interpretations oranalyses in Philosophy.

Practical SkillsUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:

Demonstrate the ability to apply philosophical theory to various aspects

of practical life. Demonstrate self- direction in tackling and solving problems.


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Transferable SkillsUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:

Demonstrate the ability to identify, gather, and make effective use of a

range of relevant primary and secondary sources. Demonstrate the ability to communicate, in writing, complex information

in an effective way.

Demonstrate the ability to successfully plan and undertake (givensuitable supervision) a sizeable research project.

Demonstrate the ability to think independently, and to challengereceived ideas.


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Programme Specification MA Applied Philosophy



of current problems and recent insights in key areas of Philosophy. Develop students ability to apply philosophical theory to various

aspects of practical life.

Develop students intellectual skills, including critical reasoning,analysis, creatively and reflection.

Enhance students transferable skills of research, interpretation, andcritical assessment.

Programme OutcomesThe various learning outcomes for the MA Applied Philosophy can be groupedunder four headings: Knowledge and Understanding, Intellectual Skills,Practical Skills, and Transferable Skills.

Knowledge and UnderstandingUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:Upon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:

Demonstrate an advanced level knowledge of key themes, debatesand thinking in modern Philosophy.

Demonstrate familiarity with, and an advanced understanding of, key

texts in modern Philosophy. Demonstrate critical understanding of everyday or real-life issues

from a philosophical perspective.


Demonstrate the ability to evaluate critically concepts, arguments andtheories encountered in the programme, including those found at theforefront of current philosophical research.

Demonstrate the ability to synthesise information and ideas from a

variety of philosophical sources. Demonstrate the ability to interpret and critically analyse philosophical

texts.

Demonstrate the ability to defend hypotheses, interpretations oranalyses in Philosophy.

Practical SkillsUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students shouldbe able to:

Demonstrate the ability to apply philosophical theory to various

aspects of practical life. Demonstrate self-direction in tackling and solving problems.


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Demonstrate the ability to engage in effective philosophicalreflection on their own ideas and practice.

Transferable SkillsUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students should be

able to: Demonstrate the ability to identify, gather, and make effective use of a

range of relevant primary and secondary sources.

Demonstrate the ability to communicate, in writing, complex informationin an effective way.

Demonstrate the ability to successfully plan and undertake (givensuitable supervision) a sizeable research project.

Demonstrate the ability to think independently, and to challengereceived ideas.


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Programme Specification - MA European Philosophy



of current problems and recent insights in key areas of EuropeanPhilosophy.

Provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of key texts in coreareas of European Philosophy.

Develop students intellectual skills, including critical reasoning,analysis, creativity and reflection.

Provide students with a conceptual understanding that enables them toevaluate critically current research in the field of European Philosophy.

Programme OutcomesThe various learning outcomes for the MA European Philosophy can begrouped under four headings: Knowledge and Understanding, IntellectualSkills, Practical Skills, and Transferable Skills.

Knowledge and UnderstandingUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:

1. Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of key themes, debatesand thinking in modern Philosophy.

2. Demonstrate familiarity with, and an advanced understanding of, keytexts in modern Philosophy.

3. Demonstrate critical understanding of everyday or real-life issuesfrom a philosophical perspective.


1. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate critically concepts, arguments andtheories encountered in the programme, including those found at theforefront of current philosophical research.

2. Demonstrate the ability to synthesise information and ideas from avariety of philosophical sources.

3. Demonstrate the ability to interpret and critically analyse philosophicaltexts.

4. Demonstrate the ability to defend hypotheses, interpretations oranalyses in Philosophy.

Practical SkillsUpon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:

1. Demonstrate self-direction in tackling and solving problems.

Transferable Skills

Upon successful completion of the programme of study, students should beable to:


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1. Demonstrate the ability to identify, gather, and make effective use of arange of relevant primary and secondary sources.

2. Demonstrate the ability to communicate, in writing, complex informationin an effective way.

3. Demonstrate the ability to successfully plan and undertake (given

suitable supervision) a sizeable rsearch project.4. Demonstrate the ability to think independently, and to challenge

received ideas.

PROGRAMMES OF STUDY GRIDS

LEVEL 7

All Masters students must normally pursue 180 credits at Level 7. The creditrating of each module is specified in the module details.

MODULESTable of module codes, titles and credit values of core, compulsory andoptional modules in Semester 1 and 2.

NB: Programme Teams may identify core modules which must bepassed before a student can p rog ress to the next year of study. It is

poss ib le for a mod ule to be a core module for one Programme of Study

but a non-core modu le for another programme. Such modules mus t be

clearly ident i f ied in Progr amme of Study Handb ook s.

MA IN PHILOSOPHY

MA PHILOSOPHY

Compulsory

CSPH7048 Philosophical methods and Approaches 20 credits 1 or 2

CSPH7024 Mind and Body 20 credits 1 or 2

CSPH7026 Moral Philosophy 20 credits 1 or 2

CSPH7023 Philosophy of Religion 20 credits 1 or 2

Part 1 Optional

CSPH7038 Aesthetics 20 credits 1 or 2CSPH7010 Environmental Philosophy 20 credits 1 or 2

CSPH7040 Knowledge and Culture 20 credits 1 or 2

Part 2 Compulsory

CSPH7049 Dissertation 60 credits 1 or 2


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MA IN APPLIED PHILOSOPHY

MA Applied Philosophy

Compulsory

CSPH7048 Philosophical methods and Approaches 20 credits 1 or 2CSPH7041 Self and Society 20 credits 1 or 2


CSPH7026 Moral Philosophy 20 credits 1 or 2

CSPH7042 Applied Ethics 20 credits 1 or 2

Part 1 Optional

CSPH7010 Environmental Philosophy 20 credits 1 or 2

CSPH7037 Social and Political Philosophy 20 credits 1 or 2

Part 2 - Compulsory


The modules that are delivered each academic year will depend on a numberof factors, including the number of students that opt to study that module. Allthe options on your Programme of Study will not necessarily be offered eachyear.

Module details are correct on 1 September 2013, and will not normally bechanged during the year. In the unlikely event of the School having to makechanges to these details during the year, you will be notified in writing.

VLE (VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT)

Your module may be taught entirely or partly through the Universitys VLE,

Moodle. Information about how to access the VLE is contained in theUniversity RegulationsPostgraduate Student Guide. Apart from information

MA European Philosophy

Compulsory

CSPH7048 Philosophical methods and Approaches 20 credits 1 or 2


CSPH7046 19thCentury Continental Philosophy 20 credits 1

CSPH7047 20 Century Continental Philosophy 20 credits 2

Part 1 Optional

CSPH7038 Aesthetics 20 credits 1 or 2

CSPH7024 Mind and Body 20 credits 1 or 2CSPH7041 Self and Society 20 credits 1 or 2

Part 2 - Compulsory



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relevant specifically to the modules and programme that you are studying, youwill also find a general postgraduate section on the VLE.

If you have any difficulties with regard to access to the VLE, please contactthe IT Service Desk via Email ([email protected])or contact 0300 500 5055.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS TAKING THE MODULETHROUGH DISTANCE LEARNING

If you are taking this programme of study by distance learning, additionalgeneral information about studying through this mode of study is given tostudents in the University Regulations Distance Student Guide. Thedistance learning regulatory framework can be found in Chapter 5 of theAcademic Quality Handbook (copy of the Handbook available from the QualityAssurance page of the intranet).

A range of supporting materials are provided by the Module Tutor andProgramme Director to assist students in their learning on each module andprogramme. These will be found on your module Moodle site and will includea list of teaching sessions, guidance to further reading, and variousassessment details including deadlines, questions and submission details. Inaddition to these, Tutors and Programme Directors may uploadsupplementary teaching materials onto the module Moodle site which mightconsist of some of the following: podcasts, short introductory video clips,discussion forums on Moodle, details of tutorials, where relevant details ofskype and webinar sessions, and information booklets.

All Postgraduate students will be invited to the Postgraduate Summer Schoolwhich takes place on the Lampeter Campus at the beginning of July eachyear.

ASSESSMENT OF PART I

Each module will be assessed independently in ways which reflect theobjectives and learning outcomes of the module and the programme of studyas a whole and the learning and teaching strategies employed within the

module.

Details of assignments, guidance on the objectives of the assessment andcriteria applied in marking will be provided at the beginning of each module.

Full information about the classification of results and regulations forprogression can be found in Chapter 6 of theAcademic Quality Handbook.

Details of what constitutes satisfactory progress can be found in Chapter 7 oftheAcademic Quality Handbook. For further information on progress see theUniversity RegulationsPostgraduate Student Guide.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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All work will normally be marked within the Universitys agreed turn-aroundtime for assessed coursework. You will be contacted by the moduleco-ordinator if this is not possible.

COURSEWORK DEADLINES

For Part-Time students the Universitys expectation is that they will complete60 credits per year, although 40 credits per year is permissible with theagreement of your Programme Director.

If looking to complete 60 credits per year students should balance theirworkload across the year, perhaps completing one 20 credit module inSemester 1 and two 20 credit modules in Semester 2. Alternatively theymight like to complete one 20 credit module in Semester 1, another 20 creditmodule in Semester 2 and a third 20 credit module in semester 3 (over thesummer).

For students taking 40 credits a year the University would recommendbalancing their workload by taking one 20 credit module in Semester 1 andanother 20 credit module in Semester 2.

Coursework deadlines are as follows for modules taken in the Faculty ofHumanities:

27 January 2014for modules taken during the first semester;26 May 2014 for modules taken during the second semester;29 September 2014for modules taken during the summer period

Please note that for modules with multiple assessment deadlines and / orexaminations, coursework deadlines and full information about examinationsis given in the module information booklet given to you at the start of themodule. Further information about assessment for distance learning studentsis given in the Academic Quality Handbook (Chapter 5) and the UniversityRegulations Distance Student Guide (copy available on the Faculty ofHumanities page on Moodle).

All assessed coursework for programmes of study taken within the Faculty of

Humanities will be submitted via Moodle, unless otherwise instructed by yourProgramme Director/Module Tutor.

DISSERTATION/PORTFOLIO PREPARATION AND ASSESSMENT

Each candidate accepted into Part II will be required to submit adissertation/portfolio not exceeding 15,000 words or the equivalent. (Anystudent signed up for a Dissertation before September 2013 will be workingtowards the old Dissertation regulation of 20,000 words.) The word limitdoes not include appendices (if any), essential footnotes, the formaldeclarations and statements or the bibliography and index. The appendices

can act as a repository of raw data. It should be noted that examiners are notobliged to read the appendices when examining a piece of work.


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If a piece of work is clearly above the indicated word limit, then the studentshould discuss editorial action with his/her supervisors before submission.

DISSERTATION

On the completion of Part 1 (120 credits), a student will be eligible to progressto Part 2, the Dissertation. It is expected that students reaching thedissertation stage of a Masters Programme of Study will have acquired andpractised research skills relevant to the modules studied. Students will beallocated a supervisor who will advise them on the issues arising at variousstages in the research project.

In addition to submitting two hard copies of the dissertation as required by theUniversity, students must also submit an electronic version of the dissertation.The Dissertation should be submitted to your Administrative Contact in the

Faculty Office, Andrea Lewis. The multimedia format selected should beapproved by the Programme Director. The electronic version of thedissertation may subsequently be stored in an institutional repository, andcontent will be made available on the Web. Students are advised that thedissertation will then be "open access", i.e. freely available to be used inaccordance with copyright and end-user permissions. Further informationabout how dissertations should be submitted can be found in the UniversityRegulationsPostgraduate Student Guide.

Please note that if you would like to graduate in July, you should hand in yourdissertation no later than 31stMarch 2014in order to make sure that all themarking and examination procedures are completed in good time.

Details of the responsibilities of the student and dissertation supportentitlement can be found in Chapter 7 of theAcademic Quality Handbook.

Module Descriptors

A Full list of all module descriptors follow from the next page.


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MODULECODE: CSPH7010TITLE: Environmental PhilosophyDATED: 15/07/2013

MODULE CO-ORDINATOR: Dr Rebekah Humphreys

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20

TEACHINGMETHODS: Tuition10%Directed Learning90%

JACSCODE: V500

AIM(S)

To provide students with a systematic and critically awareunderstanding of current problems and recent insights in environmentalphilosophy.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the module students should be able to:

demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of key themes, debatesand thinking in environmental philosophy;

display the ability to critically evaluate positions encountered within theland ethic debate;

demonstrate a sophisticated critical awareness of competing models ofenvironmental value;

show a sophisticated critical awareness of rival models ofenvironmental thought.

CONTENT

This module will explore some key perspectives in the broad area ofenvironmental philosophy, beginning with one of modern environmentalisms

key writers: Aldo Leopold, and in particular his notion of a land ethic. Themodule will cover some or all of the following:

normative stances in environmental ethics;

development ethics, population ethics, and ethical approaches toclimate change;

the concept of sustainable development;

obligations to future generations;

global citizenship and international co-operation;

allegiances and divergences between animal ethics and environmentalethics.


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ASSESSMENT

Coursework

1 x 2,500 word book review (50%)

1 x 2,500 word essay (50%)

Exemplars:

Example book review: Write a critical review of Robin Attfields EnvironmentalEthics.

Example essay: What light does environmental ethics throw on the extent ofmoral standing?

BIBILOGRAPHY

Essential reading

Attfield, Robin, Environmental Ethics(Cambridge and Malden, MA: Polity,2003).

Beckerman, Wilfred, Sustainable Development: is it a useful concept?,Environmental Values, 3, 1994.

Benson, John, Environmental Ethics: An Introduction with Readings (London:Routledge, 2000), ch.1.

Callicott, J. Baird, Animal Liberation: A Triangular Affair, EnvironmentalEthics, 2, Winter 1980, pp.311-38.

Daly, Herman, On Wilfred Beckermans Critique of Sustainable Development, Environmental Values, 4, 1995.

Goodpaster, Kenneth, On Being Morally Considerable, in Journal of

Philosophy, 75, 1978, pp.308-25.

Leopold, Aldo, The Land Ethic [originally appeared in LeopoldsA SandCounty

Almanac, 1949], in Environmental Philosophy: from animal rights to radicalecology,

eds. Zimmerman et al (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998).


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Midgley, Mary, Beasts Versus the Biosphere?, Environmental Values, 1.2.,1992, pp.113-21.

Naess, Arnes, The Deep Ecology Movement: Some Philosophical Aspects,in Philosophical Inquiry, Vol. VIII, Nos.1-2, 1986, pp.9-31.

Naess, Arnes, The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement,Inquiry, 16, 1, 1973, pp.95-100.

Paul, Taylor, The Ethics of Respect for Nature, in Environmental Philosophy:from Animal Rights to Radical Ecology, eds. Michael E. Zimmerman et al(Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998), pp.71-86.

Schmidtz, David, When Preservation Doesnt Preserve, EnvironmentalValues, 6, 1997, pp.327-39.

Sylvan, Richard, Is There a Need for a New, an Environmental Ethic?,Proceedings of the World Congress of Philosophy, No.1, Varna, Bulgaria,pp.205-10.

Recommended reading

Attfield, Global Warming, Justice and Future Generations, Philosophy ofManagement, Vol.3, No.1, 2003, pp.17-23.

Attfield, Reply to Dower, in Creation, Ethics and Environment, eds. RebekahHumphreys and Sophie Vlacos (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing,2010).

Attfield, Robin, Beyond Anthropocentrism, Royal Institute of PhilosophySupplement, 69, 2011, pp.29-46.

Attfield, Robin, The Good of Trees, in Environmental Philosophy: Principlesand Prospects(Aldershot: Averbury, 1994).

Dower, Nigel, Robin Attfield: Changing the Ethical Climate on ClimateChange, in Creation, Ethics and Environment, eds. Rebekah Humphreys andSophie Vlacos (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010).

Feinberg, Joel, The Rights of Animals and Unborn Generations, inPhilosophy and Environmental Crisis, ed. William T. Blackstone (Athens:University of Georgia, 1974).

Hunt, W. Murray, Are Mere ThingsMorally Considerable?, EnvironmentalEthics, Vol.2, No.1, 1980, pp.59-65.


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Leslie, John, The End of the World: The Science and Ethics of Human Extinction(London: Routledge, 1996).

McShane, Katie, Anthropocentrism vs Nonanthropocentrism: Why Should WeCare?, Environmental Values, Vol.16, No.2, May 2007.

Norton, Bryan, Environmental Ethics and Weak Anthropocentrism,Environmental Ethics, Vol.6, 1984.

Norton, Bryan, The Cultural Approach to Conservation Biology (1989), inBenson, Environmental Ethics: An Introduction with Readings (London:Routledge, 2000).

Richard Sikora, Is It Wrong to Prevent the Existence of Future Generations?, inSikora and Barry (eds.), Obligations to Future Generations(Philadelphia: TempleUniversity Press, 1978).


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7023TITLE: Philosophy of ReligionDATED: July 2013

MODULE AUTHOR: Dr Tristan Nash

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20

TEACHING METHODS: Tuition 10%Directed Learning 90%

JACS CODE: V500

AIM(S)

Provide students with a systematic and critically aware understandingof current problems and recent insights in Philosophy of Religion

Develop students ability to apply philosophical theory to variousaspects or doctrines of Western religious traditions

To enable students to reflect critically on the nature and the scope ofthe relationship between philosophy and these religious traditions, andthe appropriateness thereof

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of traditional debates incontemporary Philosophy of Religion about the existence/non-existence of God

Demonstrate the ability to summarise, interpret and critically analysekey texts in the Philosophy of Religion

Demonstrate a theoretically sophisticated understanding of variousaspects or doctrines of Western religious traditions such as faith,religious experience, miracles, and the resurrection

Demonstrate the ability to engage in effective philosophical reflectionon their own religious beliefs and practice (or lack thereof)

CONTENTThis module focuses on a number of key topics and themes in the Philosophyof Religion, as traditionally encountered in the Western tradition. The topics tobe covered include some or all of the following:

the traditional proofs or arguments for the existence of God (andcontemporary reworkings thereof)

the problem of evil and the associated projects of defence and theodicy

the rationality of faith religious experience


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miracles

resurrection / life and death

No matter what religious views a student may have, he/she will beencouraged to explore the topics of the module with sensitivity and in a

balanced way, by giving full weight to the strengths of opposing viewpoints,and considering issues from various theistic perspectives (e.g. theist, atheist,agnostic).

ASSESSMENT

Course work

One assignment (2500 words) 50%One book review (2500 words) 50%

Example assignment: Is this life a vale of soul-making?

Example book review: Write a review of Richard Swinburnes Faith andReason.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Beverley Clack and Brian R. Clack, The Philosophy of Religion, 2nd edn(Cambridge: Polity, 2008)Nicholas Everitt, The Non-Existence of God(London: Routledge, 2004)Chad Meister, Introducing Philosophy of Religion(London: Routledge, 2009)Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, ed. by. Michael L. Peterson,

William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach and David Basinger, 2nd edn (Oxford:Oxford University Press, 2001)Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God, rev edn (Oxford: Clarendon Press,

1991)Richard Swinburne, Faith and Reason, 2nd edn (Oxford: Clarendon Press,

2005)Charles Taliaferro, Contemporary Philosophy of Religion(Oxford: Blackwell,

1997)

Recommended

The Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Religion, ed. by. William E. Mann(Oxford: Blackwell, 2005)Timothy J. Crutcher, Proving God: The question of transcendence and thelimits of rationality, The Heythrop Journal, 51 (2010), 430-441Joshua Hoffman and Gary S. Rosenkrantz, The Divine Attributes(Oxford:Blackwell, 2002)David Hume, Dialogues concerning Natural Religion(various editions)New Waves in Philosophy of Religion, ed. by. Yujin Nagasawa and ErikWielenberg (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008)The Problem of Evil: A Reader, ed. by Mark Larrimore (Oxford: Blackwell,2000)

Robin Le Poidevin,Arguing for Atheism(London: Routledge, 1996)


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Journals

American Catholic Philosophical QuarterlyThe Heythrop JournalReligious StudiesSophia


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7024TITLE: Mind and BodyDATED: July 2013

MODULE AUTHOR: Dr Rebekah Humphreys

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V560

AIM(S)

To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of a numberof key philosophical texts concerning mind and body

To enable students to undertake advanced analysis and interpretationof key ideas and arguments found in these texts

To enable students to approach questions about mind and body fromvarious philosophical perspectives, and to engage with these questionscreatively and reflectively

LEARNING OUTCOMES


Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the works of Descartesconcerning mind and body

Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of various critiques ofCartesian dualism

Demonstrate a sophisticated critical awareness of the basis of bothCartesian dualism and the work of philosophers opposed to it

Demonstrate the ability to think independently, and to challengereceived ideas about, mind and body

CONTENT

This module focuses on various understandings, advanced in the Westernphilosophical tradition, of mind, body, and the relation between the two. Thetopics to be covered include some or all of the following:

The ancient Platonic belief that regards the body as the seat of all thatis base in human life, and as the temporary prison of a divine, rationalsoul.

The development of this view in the 17thcentury by Ren Descartes,who attempted to show through a series of arguments that there is a

radical distinction between mind (or soul) and body.


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The subsequent critique of the Cartesian dualist scheme by variousWestern thinkers.

Recent attempts to resist the conceptual separation of mind and body

ASSESSMENT

Course work

Two assignments (2,500 words each) 50% eachExample assignment: How should we respond to the suggestion that thehuman body is a machine?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Arguing about the Mind, ed. by Brie Gertier and Lawrence Shapiro (London:Routledge, 2007)The Blackwell Companion toConsciousness, ed. by Max Velmans and SusanSchneider (Oxford: Blackwell, 2007)Ren Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy(various editions)Colin Mcginn, Can we solve the mind-body problem?, Mind,98 (1989), 349-366Personal Identity, ed. by John Perry (Berkeley: University of California Press,1975)Philosophy of Mind: Contemporary Readings, ed. by Timothy O Connor andDavid Robb (London: Routledge, 2003)Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason(London: Penguin, 2003)

Gilbert Ryle, The Concept of Mind, new edn (London: Penguin, 2000)Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, ed. by. G. E. M. Anscombeand R. Rhees, trans. G. E. M. Anscombe (Oxford: Blackwell, 1953)

Recommended

David Cockburn,An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind(London:Palgrave, 2001)Anthony Kenny, Descartes: A Study of his Philosophy(New York: RandomHouse, 1968)Fergus Kerr, Theology After Wittgenstein(Oxford: Blackwell, 1986)Drew Leder,The Absent Body (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990)

Drew Leder, A Tale of Two Bodies: the Cartesian Corpse and the LivedBody, in Body and Flesh, ed. by Donn Welton(Oxford: Blackwell, 1998)Keith Maslin,An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind, rev edn (Cambridge:Polity, 2007, revised edition)Michael Pauen, Alexander Staudacher And Sven Walter, Epiphenomenalism:Dead end or way out?, Journal Of Consciousness Studies, 13 (2006), 719John Searle, Mind: A Brief Introduction(Oxford: Oxford University Press,2004)Janice Thomas, The Minds of the Moderns(Durham: Acumen, 2009)Daniel M. Wegner, The Illusion of Conscious Will, new edn (London: MITPress, 2003)

Bernard Williams, Descartes: The Project of Pure Enquiry (Harmondsworth:Pelican, 1978)


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Ludwig Wittgenstein,Zettel, ed. by G.E.M. Anscombe and G.H. von Wright(Oxford: Blackwell, 1967)

JournalsJournal of Consciousness Studies


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7026TITLE: Moral PhilosophyDATED: 21/07/2011

MODULE CO-ORDINATOR: Tristan Nash

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V520

AIM(S)

To provide students with a systematic and critically awareunderstanding of current problems and recent insights in key areasof Moral Philosophy.

To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of keytexts in modern Moral Philosophy, and the various methodologiesused in constructing and/or criticising ideas in Moral Philosophy.

To develop students intellectual skills, including critical reasoning,analysis, creativity and reflection.

LEARNING OUTCOMES


demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of various theoreticalframeworks developed for addressing moral issues;

demonstrate the ability to evaluate critically key philosophicalnotions such as values, consequences, virtue, character andduty, and their application within the aforementioned frameworks;

demonstrate the ability to engage in theoretically sophisticatedphilosophical reflection upon their own moral ideas and practices;

demonstrate the ability to apply the frameworks of moral philosophy

to various aspects of practical life.

CONTENT

This module outlines and critically discusses a variety of theoreticalframeworks that have been developed by moral philosophers for addressingmoral issues. The topics to be addressed include some or all of the following:

Philosophy and theory in ethics

Consequences and moral mathematics

Facts and values

Kant and the nature of duty


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Virtue and character

Double effect, and the distinction between acts and omissions.

ASSESSMENT

Course work

One assignment (5,000 words) 100%

Example assignment: Is there a form of the good life which is good for allpeople, disregarding considerations of their cultural or historical context?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Alasdair MacIntyre,After Virtue, 2nd edn (London: Duckworth, 1985)

Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics (London: Penguin, 1976)Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation(New York: Dover, 2009)Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1997)John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2001)

Recommended

G. E. M. Anscombe, Collected Philosophical Papers, vol. III (Oxford:Blackwell, 1981)

A Companion to Ethics, ed by Peter Singer (Oxford: Blackwell, 1991)Ethical Theory, ed by James Rachels (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998)Ethics: The Big Questions, ed by James P Sterba (Oxford: Blackwell, 1998)W. D. Hudson, Modern Moral Philosophy, 2nd edn (London: Macmillan, 1983)Rosalind Hursthouse, On Virtue Ethics (Oxford: Oxford University Press,1999)J. L. Mackie, Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong (Harmondsworth: Penguin

Books, 1977)D.D. Raphael, Moral Philosophy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994)J. J. C. Smart and Bernard Williams, Utilitarianism: For and Against(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971)

Virtue Ethics: A Critical Reader, ed by Daniel Statman (Edinburgh: EdinburghUniversity Press, 1997)Bernard Williams, Morality(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976)Mary Warnock, Ethics Since 1900, 3rd edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press,

1978)


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7037TITLE: Social and Political PhilosophyDATED: 21/07/11

MODULE CO-ORDINATOR: Dr David Morgans

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V540

AIM(S)

* To provide students with a systematic and critical understanding ofpolitical institutions and the social and political concepts obligation andconsent, freedom and coercion, justice and equality, democracy andrepresentation.

* To engage the student in the critical examination of the variousvalues and beliefs promoted (implicitly or explicitly) by differentgroups and institutions within contemporary society

* To provide the student with an historical appreciation of thedevelopment of contemporary political thought and the competingnature of debates concerning social justice and social exclusion

LEARNING OUTCOMES


* Demonstrate a critical awareness of contemporary political andsocial policy debate in the context of the relationship betweenindividual rights and democracy

* Demonstrate the ability to interpret and critically analyse texts in thehistory of Western political thought

* Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the relationship between

social and political ethics and political processes and thedevelopment of thought and debate.

* Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of social and politicalintervention strategies are developed and implemented in partthrough reference to different and competing social and politicalstrategies

CONTENT

This module will examine a number of the main figures, texts, and ideas in thehistory of Western political thought. Initially it will examine Platos andAristotles classical conception of politics, before focusing mainly on thepolitical thought of the modern era (i.e., 16th century present), studying


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some of the major figures in the development of Western liberalism (Hobbes,Locke, Mill) and their different strategies of justification, as well as the moreradical democratic and socialist strains of thought (Rousseau, Marx),concluding with a look at more contemporary thinkers concerned withtotalitarianism, social justice and the welfare state, and race and gender

inequality. The areas of focus will include some or all of the following:

* the relationship between individual rights and democracy

* the nature and extent of political obligations

* the value of freedom as compared to other potentially competinggoods (like community, progress, security, etc.)

* the role of political institutions in both perpetuating and overcomingrace, gender, and economic oppression

ASSESSMENT

Coursework

One assignment (5000 words)100%

Example assignment: Discuss how the notion of rights is important to thedelivery of welfare.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Annas, J. An Introduction to Plato's Republic (Oxford: Clarendon Press,1981), Chs.4 and 7Aristotle, Politics (various editions)Bertran, C. Rousseau and the Social Contract (London: Routledge, 2003)Contemporary Political Philosophy, ed. by Robert Goodin and Philip Pettit(Oxford: Blackwell, 1997)Thomas Hobbes, The Leviathon (various editions)Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy, 2nd edn (Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 2001)John Locke, Selected Readings, ed by J. Dunn (Oxford University

Press,1984)Readings in Social and Political Philosophy, ed. by Robert M. Stewart, 2ndedn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996)Plato, TheRepublic (various editions)Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (various editions)John Stuart Mill, On Liberty and other essays (Oxford University Press, 1991 -or earlier editions)Mulgan, R. G. Aristotles Political Theory: an Introduction for Students ofPolitical Theory(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977)Stephen Mulhall and Adam Swift, Liberals and Communitarians, 2nd edn(Oxford: Blackwell, 2000)

R. Nozick,Anarchy, State and Utopia (Oxford: Blackwell, 1974)J. Rawls,A Theory of Justice (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971).


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Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract(London: Wordsworth Classicsof World Literature, 1998)

Recommended

Contemporary Political Thought: a Reader and Guide, ed. by Alan Finlayson

(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2003)A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, ed. by Robert E. Goodinand Philip Pettit (Oxford: Blackwell, 1997)Michael Walzer, Spheres of Justice: a Defence of Pluralism and Equality(Oxford:Blackwell, 1983)


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7038

TITLE: Aesthetics

DATED: June 2011

MODULE AUTHOR: Dr James Luchte

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20

TEACHING METHODS: Tuition 10%

Directed Learning 90%

JACS CODE: V500

AIM(S)

To provide students with a systematic and critically aware understanding ofcurrent problems and recent insights in aesthetics

To enhance studentsskills in the interpretation and critical assessment ofphilosophical works in aesthetics

LEARNING OUTCOMES


Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of key themes, debates andthinking in philosophical aesthetics

Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate philosophical positions regardingthe artwork and its relationship to social and cultural development

Demonstrate a sophisticated critical awareness of competing models ofaesthetic awareness and significance

Demonstrate a sophisticated critical awareness of the relationship betweenaesthetics and the historical transformation in artistic movements.

CONTENT

This module explores the historical and ideological transformations that have

occurred between traditional and contemporary philosophical treatments of aestheticsand art. The module will be divided into four units, each of which reflects a moment

in the transformation of aesthetics from a modernist concern for aesthetic experience

toward an ontological, phenomenological and critical/deconstructive enterprise, in the

context of broader social and cultural production.

Unit One: The Foundations of AestheticsKant and the Tradition

Unit Two: The Ontology of ArtFrom Romanticism to Nietzsche

Unit Three: The Phenomenology of ArtHeidegger and Krell


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Unit Four: The Critical Theory and Deconstruction of ArtBenjamin, Adorno and

Derrida

ASSESSMENT

Course work

One assignment (5000 words)

100%

Example assignment: Philosophically interpret and critically analyse Heideggers

contention in The Origin of the Work of Art that art discloses the truth of Being.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Theodore Adorno, The Culture Industry, edited by J.M. Bernstein, (Routledge, 2001)

Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,

Illuminations, (Schoken, 1969).

Jacques Derrida, The Truth in Painting, translated by Geoffrey Bennington and Ian

McLeod, (University of Chicago Press, 1987)

Martin Heidegger, The Origin of the Work of Art,Poetry, Language, Thought,

(Perennial, 2001)

Immanuael Kant, Critique of Judgement, translated by Paul Guyer, (Cambridge,

2001)

David Farrell Krell, The Tragic Absolute, (Indiana University Press, 2005)

Frederich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy, (Modern Library, 2000)

Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation, Vol. 1, translated by E.

Payne, (Dover, 1969)

Recommended

Frederich Beiser, The Romantic Imperative, (Harvard University Press, 2006)

Arnold Berleant,Art and Engagement(Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993)

M. W. Rowe, The objectivity of aesthetic judgements,British Journal of Aesthetics,

39 (1999), 40-52

Sebastian Gardner, Aesthetics, inPhilosophy: A Guide Through The Subject, ed. A.C. Grayling (Oxford University Press, 1995), 585-600

Berys Gaut and Dominic McIver Lopes (eds.),The Routledge Companion to

Aesthetics(Routledge, 2005, 2nded.)

Richard Kearney, Continental Aesthetics: Romanticism to Postmodernism,

(Blackwell, 2001)

Peter Lamarque and Stein Haugom Olsen (eds.),Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art,

(Blackwell, 2004)

Journals

British Journal of AestheticsJournal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7040TITLE: Knowledge and CultureDATED: 21/07/11

MODULE CO-ORDINATOR: Dr David MorgansLEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V500

AIM(S)

* To provide students with a systematic and critical awareness of modernand contemporary epistemology.

LEARNING OUTCOMES


* Demonstrate a sophisticated critical awareness of various views ontruth, belief, knowledge, and the possibility of knowledge

* Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the importance ofepistemology in the development of cultural and social ideas

* Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of the ideas andpositions of contemporary epistemology

CONTENT

The module will undertake an in-depth exploration of knowledge of the mainissues, positions and arguments in the theory of knowledge and its effect onculture and social life, and the relevant terminology. The topics to be studiedinclude some or all of the following:

* The vocabulary of modern philosophy (i.e. Descartes and after)

* The development of epistemology from the seventeenth andeighteenth centuries to the present day

* The definition of knowledge

* The very possibility of knowledge, and our presumption that we areto able to possess it

The focus on such topics will also facilitate an appreciation of theepistemological implications or presuppositions of ideas and arguments inother areas of philosophy and social theory and will enable the student tounderstand more fully the importance of epistemology in the development ofcultural and social ideas.

ASSESSMENT


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One assignment (5,000 words)100%

Example assignment: Is the sceptic justified in making a distinction betweenordinary doubt and philosophical doubt?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Jonathan Dancy & Ernest Sosa,A Companion to Epistemology(Oxford:Blackwell, 1992)Jonathan Dancy,An Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology(Oxford:Blackwell, 1985)D. W. Hamlyn The Theory of Knowledge(New York: Anchor Books, 1970),chaps 1-5, 10Adam MortonA Guide through the Theory of Knowledge, 3rd edn (Oxford:Blackwell, 2002)W. V. Quine & J. Ullian, The Web of Belief, 2nd edn (McGraw Hill, 1978)

Recommended

Robert Audi, Belief,Justification and Knowledge(London: Wadsworth, 1988)Roderick Chisholm, Theory of Knowledge, 2nd edn(New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1977)D. J. OConnor & Brian Carr, Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge(Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1982)Philosophy: A Guide Through the Subject, ed. by A.C. Grayling (Oxford:

Oxford University Press, 1998)


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7041TITLE: Self and SocietyDATED: 21/07/2011

MODULE CO-ORDINATOR: Dr David Morgans

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V540

AIM(S)

* To provide students with a systematic and critical awareness of humanselfhood, agency and identity.

* To enhance students skills in the interpretation and criticalassessment of everyday assumptions about the nature andsourcesof our identity as individuals and how such assumptions may affectviews and practices across various spheres in society.

* To enable students to undertake advanced analysis of the ways inwhich views of the relation between individual and society contributeto understandings of social justice.

LEARNING OUTCOMESBy the end of this module students should be able to:

* demonstrate a critical awareness of the complexities of debatesaround the relation between nature, nurture and other factors inexplaining the formation of individual selfhood and identity, andrelations between self and other;

* demonstrate the ability to critically reflect on competing perspectivesin modern philosophy and theory on the relation between individualand society;

* demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate the strengths andshortcomings among diverse perspectives on the relation betweenindividual selfhood and factors such as class, culture and gender;

* demonstrate a systematic understanding of the relations betweenself and other, social justice, on the nature of society, and on howbest to study social phenomena.

CONTENT

This module addresses the relation between individual and society from avariety of angles afforded by modern theoretical traditions. Understandings ofthe conditions, sources and determinants of selfhood and identity will lie at theroot of debates across social studies, as will assumptions about the nature of


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the individual and its relation to those socializing factors class, culture,gender and others which place a given individual within a particular set ofsocial relations. In taking a critical look at such concepts, this module willexplore some or all of the following:

* The themes and oppositions with which theories relating self andsociety will deal: reason and emotion, structure and agency,freedom and determinism, nature and nurture.

* The sources of selfhood and identity, as seen by such traditions asLiberalism, Marxism, Feminism and Poststructuralism.

* Understandings of the relation between self and other,understandings of social justice, and understandings of such termsas agency, freedom, responsibility, and autonomy terms whichhave wide application in social, ethical and political philosophy andtheory.

ASSESSMENT

Coursework 100%

Two assignments (2500 words each) 50% each

Example assignment: Some theorists claim that human behaviour involvesagency and thus presupposes mental states, and such mental dispositionalstates can not be reduced to biological or physiological states. Discuss this inrelation to the idea of a self-image.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Ren Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy(various editions)Michel Foucault, The Foucault Reader, ed. by P. Rabinow, (London: Penguin,1984)David Hume,A Treatise of Human Nature(various editions)Identity and Difference, ed. by Kathryn Woodward (London: Sage Publications,1998)Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason(various editions)Karl Marx, Early Writings, (London: Penguin, 1975)

John Stuart Mill, On Liberty(London: Penguin, 1974)Stephen Mulhall and Adam Swift, Liberals and Communitarians, 2nd edn(Oxford: Blackwell, 2000)John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, reissue edn (Harvard: Harvard UniversityPress, 2005)Kate Soper, What is Nature?(Oxford: Blackwell, 1995)Charles Taylor, Sources of the Self, new edn (Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress, 1992)

Recommended

Terry Eagleton, The Idea of Culture, (Oxford: Blackwell, 2000)Terry Eagleton, The Illusions of Postmodernism(Oxford: Blackwell, 1996)


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Norman Geras, Marx and Human Nature, (London: Verso, 1985)G. W. F. Hegel, The Phenomenology of Spirit(various editions)Christopher Norris, The Truth About Postmodernism(Oxford: Blackwell, 1993)Michael J. Sandel, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice(Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press, 1982)

Sean Sayers, Marxism and Human Nature(London: Routledge, 1998)Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy, 2nd rev edn (Oxford:Oxford University Press, 2006)Iris Marion Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference(New Jersey: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1990)

JOURNALS

Philosophy and Social CriticismPolitical Theory (available on Infotrac)Radical PhilosophyRes Publica


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7042TITLE: Applied EthicsDATED: June 2011

MODULE AUTHOR: Tristan Nash

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V520

AIM(S)

To provide students with a systematic and critically awareunderstanding of problems and recent insights in Applied Ethics.

To develop students ability to apply moral theory to practical ethicaldilemmas.

LEARNING OUTCOMES


Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of key themes, debatesand thinking in Applied Ethics

Demonstrate the ability to evaluate critically concepts, arguments andtheories encountered in the ongoing debates over such moraldilemmas as abortion, euthanasia, and our treatment of animals

Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the ways in whichtraditional moral theory might be applied to ethical dilemmas

Demonstrate a theoretically sophisticated understanding of the ethicalconsiderations that are involved in taking life.

CONTENT

This module will undertake an in-depth investigation of some of the centralissues in contemporary applied ethics. The topics to be studied include someor all of the following:

Abortion

Euthanasia

War

Poverty

Punishment

Our treatment of animals

Killing and letting die The moral relevance of personhood


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The nature of moral obligation

The module will also provide a detailed examination of traditional moral theorythrough their application to issues in applied ethics.

ASSESSMENT

Course work

Two assignments (2500 words each) 50% EachExample assignment: If foetuses are not persons is abortion morally neutral?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Jonathan Glover, Causing Death and Saving Lives (London: Penguin, 1997)

Hugh LaFollette, Ethics in Practice(Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006)Peter Singer, Practical Ethics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993)Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, rev edn (New York: Basic Books,2006)

Recommended

Elizabeth Anscombe, War And Murder, Ethics, Religion, and Politics(Oxford:Wiley-Blackwell, 1991)Robert Campbell and Diane Collinson, Ending Lives(Oxford: Blackwell, 1995)Andrew I. Cohen and Christopher Wellman, Contemporary Debates in AppliedEthics(Oxford: Blackwell, 2004)

Cora Diamond, Eating Meat and Eating People Philosophy53 (1978)Jonathan Glover, Humanity(London: Random House, 1999)Rosalind Hursthouse, Beginning Lives(Oxford: Blackwell, 1987)Thomas Nagel, War and Massacre Philosophy and Public Affairs,1, (1972),123-144Tom Regan, The Case for Animal Rights(London: Routledge, 1983)Peter Singer,Animal Liberation(London: Pimlico, 1995)Peter Singer,Applied Ethics(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986)Peter Unger, Living High and Letting Die, (Oxford: Oxford University Press,1996)

JournalsJournal of Applied PhilosophyTheoretical and Applied Ethics


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7046TITLE: 19thCentury Continental PhilosophyDATED: 21/07/11

MODULE CO-ORDINATOR: Dr James Luchte

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V500

AIMS

* To provide students with a systematic and critically awareunderstanding of current problems and recent insights in 19 th centuryContinental Philosophy

* To enhance students skills in the interpretation and criticalassessment of philosophical works in 19th century ContinentalPhilosophy.

LEARNING OUTCOMES


* Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of key themes,

debates and thinking in19thcentury Continental Philosophy.

* Demonstrate the ability to critically, evaluate concepts, argumentsand theories encountered in 19thcentury Continental Philosophy.

* Demonstrate the ability to identify the various approaches in 19thcentury continental philosophy and of the appropriations of the ideasof this philosophy into other movements of thought.

* Demonstrate the ability to interpret and analyse the systematiccontext of 19thcentury Continental Philosophy, and to communicatethis interpretation/analysis clearly and effectively

CONTENT

This module assesses 19th century continental thought historically,methodologically and philosophically. Beginning with an examination of the'context of emergence' for 19th century continental philosophy in Kant andGerman Idealism (Fichte, Early German Romanticism, Schelling and Hegel),the module will examine selected texts by Marx, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche,and Kierkegaard with a view to acquainting students with the central themesof their philosophies. The module offers students the possibility ofinvestigating the full range of philosophical problems, and the political, socialand phenomenological concerns of 19th century thinkers with respect to the

key problems of philosophy and their relation to the nature of political, culturaland ethical thought.


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ASSESSMENT

Coursework

One assignment (5000 words) 100%

Example Assignment: In what sense is the phenomenon complex? How isKants notion different from the empirical object in Humes philosophy?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Frederick C. Beiser, The Fate of Reason(Boston: Harvard, 1993)Soren Kierkegaard, The Concept of Anxiety(London: Wiley-Blackwell 2001)Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy(London: Penguin, 1994)James Luchte, Kants Critique of Pure Reason(London: Continuum, 2007)

Karl Marx, Early Writings(London: Penguin, 1992)Terry Pinkard, German Philosophy(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,2002)

Recommended

H. Allison, Kants Transcendental Idealism (New Haven: Yale UniversityPress, 1983)Frederick C. Beiser, German Idealism: The Struggle against Subjectivism(Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2002)E. Cassirer, Kants Life and Thought, trans. by James Haden (Yale: YaleUniversity

Press, 1981)Manfred Frank, The Philosophical Foundations of Early GermanRomanticism, trans. by Elizabeth Millan-Zaibert (Albany: State University ofNew York Press, 2004)Richard Kearney, Routledge History of Philosophy, Volume Eight TwentiethCentury Continental Philosophy(Routledge, 1993)David Farrell Krell, The Tragic Absolute(Bloomington: Indiana, 2005)Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation(London: Dover,1966)


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7047TITLE: 20thCentury Continental PhilosophyDATED: 21/07/11

MODULE CO-ORDINATOR: Dr James Luchte

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V500

AIMS

* To provide students with a systematic and critically awareunderstanding of current problems and recent insights in 20 th centuryContinental Philosophy

* To enhance students skills in the interpretation and criticalassessment of philosophical works in 20th century ContinentalPhilosophy.

LEARNING OUTCOMES


* Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of key themes,

debates and thinking in 20thcentury Continental Philosophy.

* Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate concepts, argumentsand theories encountered in 20thcentury Continental Philosophy.

* Demonstrate the ability to identify the various approaches of 20thcentury Continental Philosophy and of the appropriations of theideas of this age of philosophy into cultural and contemporarythought.

* Demonstrate the ability to interpret and analyse the systematiccontext of 20thcentury Continental Philosophy, and to communicate

this interpretation/analysis clearly and effectively

CONTENT

This module will examine the dominant movements in 20th centurycontinental philosophy. Beginning with the 1) Phenomenological Movement,and its criticisms of Neo-Kantianism and Logical Positivism, the module withexamine, in turn, 2) Existentialism, 3) Critical Theory and 4) Post-structuralism. In this way, the module will consider selected texts from suchthinkers as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, Adorno, Habermas, Lacan,Derrida and Foucault with a view to investigating the full range ofphilosophical problems and perspectives of recent continental philosophy.

The module will close with a reflection upon the current movements andtrajectories of early 21st century continental philosophy.


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ASSESSMENT

Coursework

One assignment (5000 words)100%

Example Assignment: What is the purpose of Derridas neo-logismdifferance? How is this notion a criticism of the philosophy of the earlyHeidegger? Does Derridas criticism rest upon an accurate interpretation ofBeing and Time?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential

Jacques Derrida, Differance, Margins of Philosophy (Chicago: University of

Chicago Press, 1985)Michel Foucault, The Foucault Reader(New York: Pantheon Books, 1984)Jrgen Habermas, Philosophical Discourse of Modernity (Cambridge: PolityPress, 1987)Martin Heidegger, Basic Writings(London: Harper Collins, 1993)Edmund Husserl, Cartesian Meditations(Martinus Nijhoff, 1977)James Luchte, Heideggers Early Philosophy: The Phenomenology of EcstaticTemporality(London: Continuum, 2008)Jean Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism, Existentialism fromDostoyevsky to Sartre, ed. Walter Kaufman, (Meridian Publishing Company,1989)

Recommended

Theodore Adorno, Negative Dialectics, (London: Continuum, 1981)Albert Camus, The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt, (New York: Vintage,1992)Jacques Derrida, Margins of Philosophy, trans. Alan Bass (Harvester Press,1982)Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish(New York: Vintage Press, 1990)Martin Heidegger, History of the Concept of Time (Bloomington: IndianaUniversity Press, 1992)Martin Heidegger, Being and Time(London: Blackwell, 1962)Martin Heidegger, Poetry, Language, Thought(London: Perennial, 2001)Theodore Kisiel, The Genesis of Heideggers Being and Time (Berkeley:University of California Press, 1992)John Lechte, Fifty Key Contemporary Thinkers: From Structuralism toPostmodernism(London: Routledge, 1997)Otto Pggeler, Martin Heideggers Path of Thinking (Atlantic Highlands, NJ:Humanities Press, 1987)Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations (London: BlackwellPublishing, 2001)


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MODULE CODE: CSPH7048TITLE: Philosophical Methods and ApproachesDATED: June 2013

MODULE AUTHOR: Dr Rebekah Humphreys

LEVEL: 7CREDITS: 20


JACS CODE: V500

AIM(S)

To provide students with a systematic and critically awareunderstanding of various approaches to Philosophy;

To engage the student in the critical examination of variousmethodologies employed by philosophers.

LEARNING OUTCOMES


Demonstrate a critical awareness of various approaches to Philosophy;

Demonstrate a systematic understanding of various philosophical

methodologies;

Demonstrate the ability to critically examine a range of philosophicaltopics;

Demonstrate the ability to interpret and critically analyse textsconcerned with establishing a particular approach to Philosophy.

CONTENT

Undoubtedly the most fundamental and challenging philosophical question isWhat is philosophy? Since the first philosophers began practicing in ancient

Greece, numerous answers to this question have been proposed, e.g. thatphilosophy is a way of life, a search for truth, conceptual analysis, a quest forknowledge, a form of edifying conversation, and an activity that involvesrational argumentation. In this module students will consider all of thesesuggestions along with a number of topics which bear on the nature ofandapproaches tophilosophy. These will include some or all of the following:

methods and aims of philosophy

philosophical dialogue

knowledge and rational justification

principles governing correct reasoning


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In particular, and in line with various conceptions of philosophy, the modulewill focus on issues, ideas, and papers related to epistemology, reasoning,and logical argument.

A study of the nature of philosophy, its methods, and its aims, as well as an

examination of topics which bear on such a study is vital for any student ofphilosophy.

ASSESSMENT

Course work

One assignment (5,000 words) 100%

Example assignment: Philosophy is not defined by what it is about. Criticallydiscuss.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Essential- Aristotle, The Metaphysics, translated with an introduction by Hugh Lawson-

Tancred (London: Penguin Books, 2004), selected sections.- A.J. Ayer [1956], The Problem of Knowledge(London: Penguin Books,1990).- Irving M. Copi, Introduction to Logic(London: The Macmillan Company,

1968), selected sections.- Frederick Copleston,A History of Philosophy, Vol.1: Greece and Rome

(London: Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1946), selected chapters.

- Descartes, Meditations [1641], in Key Philosophical Writings, translated byElizabeth S. Haldane, edited and introduction by Enrique Chavez-Arvizo(Hertfordshire: Wordsworth, 1997).

- Anthony Flew, Thinking about Thinking: (or, do I sincerely want to be right?)(London: Fontana, 1989), selected sections.

- E. Gettier, Is Justified True Belief Knowledge,Analysis, Vol.23, 1963,pp.121-23.- David Hume, Sceptical Doubts concerning the Operation of the

Understanding, in Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748), Part1, Section 4.

- Neil Levy, Analytical and Continental Philosophy: Explaining theDifferences, Metaphilosophy, Vol.34, No.3, Apr. 2003.

-Anthony OHear (ed.), Conceptions of Philosophy, Royal Institute ofPhilosophy Supplement, 65 (Cambridge and New York: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2009).

- G.E.L. Owen, Eleatic Questions, The Classical Quarterly, Vol.10, No.1, May1960, pp.84-102.- Plato, The Republic, translated with an introduction by Desmond Lee,

second edn. (London: Penguin Books, 1987), selected sections.- Graham Priest, What is Philosophy?, Philosophy, 81, 2006, pp.189-207.- Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy(Oxford and New York:

Oxford University Press, 1967).


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Recommended- Havi Carel and David Gamez (eds.), What Philosophy Is(London:Continuum, 2004).- Tim Crane, Philosophy, Logic, Science, History, in Metaphilosophy, Vol. 43,

Issue 1-2, 2012, pp.20-37.

- Anthony Gottlieb, The Dream of Reason(London: Penguin Books, 2001).- Gary Gutting, Can philosophical beliefs be rationally justified?,American

Philosophical Quarterly, 19, 1982.- William Jordan,Ancient Concepts of Philosophy(London: Routledge, 1990).- Christopher W. Tindale, F

Programme of Study Handbook - MA Philosophy, MA Applied Philosophy, MA European Philosophy

Documents