| Unit name | Themes in Modern European Philosophy 2 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL30117 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Seiriol Morgan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
PHIL10005: Introduction to Philosophy A, PHIL 10006: Introduction to Philosophy B, PHIL20046: Realism and Normativity |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit provides students with the opportunity to make an in depth study of one or more central themes that emerge in the work of the philosophers of the post-Kantian period in European philosophy. This is done through reading and discussing the work of particular philosophers writing in this period and with these concerns in mind, and also via a close introduction to key interpretative issues arising in the contemporary secondary literature associated with them. The particular themes focused on may vary from year to year, but in each case will raise issues of enduring and general philosophical interest and importance.
The unit aims to give students a deep understanding of one or more central themes in the work of European philosophers of the C19 and C20, writing in the wake of Kant’s ‘Copernican revolution’ in Philosophy. The themes will be of enduring philosophical interest and significance. The positions and arguments advanced by particular philosophers in developing the theme(s) will be considered and assessed, and their continuing importance brought out.
Examples of possible themes and corresponding philosophers that might be studied:- German Idealism (Fichte, Hegel, Novalis), the Self in the post-Kantian tradition (numerous), Hermeneutics (Dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, Ricoeur)
On successful completion of this unit students will: 1) Have a deep understanding of one or more central themes developed in modern European philosophy, and why they are philosophically important 2) Have a solid understanding of some key issues and disputes in the contemporary secondary literature relating to the themes mentioned in 1), and how and why and why they are important to our understanding of the themes 3) Be able to engage critically with the positions and arguments of these philosophers, both historical and contemporary, at a depth suitable to level H, and offer their own assessment of them. 4) Have further developed skills in reading philosophy, constructing and evaluating arguments, and writing philosophy, bringing these to an advanced level, building on the skills acquired in units at level I and level C.
24 x 1-hr lectures; 11 x 1-hr seminars
This unit will have two scheduled lecture hours per week. The first will be more traditionally didactic in form, the second more interactive. Key to these will be a number of ‘colloquia’, where the lecturer introduces issues and disputes from the secondary literature, and then invites student engagement and debate about them. This is the key method by which learning outcome 2) will be achieved, and one of the methods by which the ‘depth’ of understanding mentioned in learning outcomes 1) and 3) is achieved.
Summative: Three hour unseen examination Formative: 1x 2500 word essay + 15 mins essay tutorial
These assessment methods contribute to the achievement of all the intended learning outcomes, in that 1) knowledge and grasp of the breadth of the issues related to these themes is required and developed by successful exam preparation, 2) all of the writing assignments (i.e. both formative essays and written answers to exam questions) require argumentative engagement with the material, and 3) the formative essays in particular help develop writing skills, both through practice and in dialogue with the tutor who marked them in essay tutorials, and 4) the increased philosophical depth appropriate to level H units is encouraged by the slightly longer word count of the formative essay than at level I, and in the nature and difficulty of the exam questions asked
Literature will vary as the themes vary, but as an example, if the theme were German Idealism the following texts would be appropriate:- Fichte Introductions to the Science of Knowledge (ed. Breazeale) Karl Americks (ed) The Cambridge Companion to German Idealism Matthew Altman (ed) The Palgrave Macmillan Handbook of German Idealism Terry Pinkard Hegel’s Phenomenology: The Sociality of Reason Robert Pippin Hegel’s Idealism
