Module CLAS1751: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS ON MEMORY AND RECOLLECTION

Department: Classics and Ancient History

CLAS1751: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS ON MEMORY AND RECOLLECTION

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide an introduction to ancient philosophy for those new to the subject, and to supplement and deepen the knowledge and skills of those who have already taken a philosophy module;
• To introduce students to the various ways in which ancient philosophers, from the Presocratics to Augustine, reflected on the nature and epistemological role of memory, forgetfulness and recollection, thus complementing the existent departmental emphasis on the concept of memory as a key to our study and understanding of the Classical world.

Content

• This course will examine the exciting variety of ways in which ancient philosophers, from the Presocratics to Augustine, reflected on the nature of memory, forgetfulness and recollection. We will analyse how these philosophers' conceptions of memory, its physiology, its objects, and its role in the acquisition of knowledge are tightly intertwined with their views on psychology (how the soul or mind work), physics and metaphysics (what the world is like), epistemology (how we acquire knowledge) and ethics (how we can live 'well' and happily). In this way our approach to this specific subject will aim at becoming an ideal introduction to the study of ancient philosophy more generally.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will be acquainted with all the main philosophical conceptions of memory, forgetfulness and recollection developed in antiquity;
• understand how these conceptions are historically and logically related to one another, and how they are located in the broader framework of Classical thought;
• understand how these conceptions are tightly intertwined with the ancient philosophical positions in psychology, physics, metaphysics, epistemology and ethics;
• appreciate some of the main philosophical problems raised by those conceptions;
• become familiar with some central ancient texts relevant to the topic (especially by Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine).

• The module aims at developing and promoting the students' ability to read and understand philosophical texts of a wide range (linguistic, stylistic, and chronological), and their capacity to identify and analyse the main theses and arguments set out in them with some degree of critical engagement;
• to handle properly the main secondary literature with some degree of critical engagement;
• to handle basic philosophical concepts, especially in the fields of psychology, metaphysics, and epistemology;
• to write clear and competent essays and commentaries on philosophical arguments and texts.

• The module aims at furthering the students' capacity to sustain clear, well-structured and well-defended arguments both in oral and in written form;
• furthering the students' willingness to approach sympathetically ideas and arguments even when they appear alien and surpassed.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The weekly lectures form the core of the module and are the main source of factual information. The essay component of the final examination tests assimilation and understanding of material across the breadth of the module.
• Seminars are devoted to discussion of the ideas introduced in the lectures and to closer analysis of some of the main relevant texts (with particular focus on Plato, Aristotle and Augustine). They are meant to give students practice in 'slow reading' of the sources and in commenting closely on specific sections of the primary literature. The commentary component of the final examination tests the level of competence reached in this exercise (one of the two formative assignments will also take the form of a commentary on a selected passage).
• The summative essay tests the students' capacity to locate, understand and discuss the primary and secondary sources relevant to the essay topic, and to present the results of their research in clear, well-structured and well-defended way.
• The tutorials are for feedback on formative assignments. Tutorials are meant to encourage constructive discussion of difficult points, and aim at being a really formative occasion, enabling students to revise and consolidate their knowledge during the year.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

2 written assignments of about 1500-2000 words each. One in Michaelmas term and one in Epiphany term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University