| Unit name | Epistemology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL20009 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jason Konek |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Epistemology, or ‘the theory of knowledge’, is one of the central branches of philosophy, tracing back to ancient Greece. However our approach will be contemporary rather than historical: we will study key epistemological debates in 20th century analytic philosophy. Topics to be covered include the nature of knowledge and justification, scepticism and possible responses to it, internalist versus externalist theories of knowledge and justification, a priori knowledge, perception and perceptual knowledge, inductive reasoning, evidence and probability.
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
(1) demonstrate detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the central debates and positions in epistemology
(2) demonstrate familiarity with the central literature on these debates and positions;
(3) demonstrate skills in the researching and written presentation of complex material, on these debates and positions, as appropriate to Level I,
(4) work together collaboratively with others to collectively present and explain technical material orally in a manner accessible to a wider audience.
11 two-hour lectures + 11 one-hour seminars
ALL ASSESSMENT IS SUMMATIVE:
Group presentation (15%) [ILOs (1), (2), (4)]
4 x contributions to a wiki that will present and summarise the material covered in the unit for other students (each contribution no more than 400 words) (25%) [ILOs (1)-(3)]
1 x 2000 word essay (60%) [ILOs (1)-(3)]
Dancy, Jonathan, Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology. Oxford: Blackwell, 1985.
Gettier, Edmund. “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?” Analysis, 23, 121–123, 1963.
Steup, Matthias and Sosa, Ernest (eds.),Contemporary Debates in Epistemology, Oxford, Blackwell, 2005.
