Module PHIL51030: Philosophical Perspectives

Department: Philosophy

PHIL51030: Philosophical Perspectives

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To introduce students to the variety of methods, styles and approaches in the discipline of philosophy.
• To impress upon students that the question of which research methods and techniques a philosopher should employ is itself a difficult philosophical question, to which many conflicting answers have been proposed, and, in the process, to convey an understanding of some of the many different argument structures and writing techniques that are employed in philosophy.
• To enable students to critically reflect at an advanced level on distinctions made between philosophical 'traditions' and perspectives, and to address the issues of whether, when and how various philosophical presuppositions should be defended.
• To teach students how to identify and critically examine the presuppositions of their own philosophical work and to gain an understanding of how that is related to the wider context of the discipline.
• To develop an in-depth understanding of how to approach writing an advanced level philosophy essay and Dissertation and how to utilise library and other resources effectively.

Content

• 9 x 2hr sessions, will include training and development of practical research skills and essay writing technique. Through seminar discussions students will also learn about different conceptions of what philosophy is and how it should be done and engage with some of the most important philosophers and classic publications that constitute pivotal moments in the development of philosophical research. Indicative topics are: naturalism; meta-metaphysics; the relation between history of science and philosophy of science; philosophy and medicine (medical humanities); ethics in theory and practice; philosophy and religion; phenomenology; feminist philosophy; philosophy of mind; epistemology; conceptual engineering; post-Kantian philosophy.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will:
• Become familiar with some of the ways in which academic research in philosophy is presented.
• Learn about different conceptions of the relationships between philosophy and its subject matter.
• Acquire a knowledge of distinctions between different philosophical traditions and be sensitive to the advantages and shortcomings of such distinctions.
• Understand that different philosophers, philosophical methods and philosophical schools start from quite different presuppositions and learn that implicit presuppositions often play a key role in motivating philosophical positions.

• Students will be able to:
• Identify the context or tradition in which a philosophical work is situated.
• Present work in a style appropriate to the discipline.
• Make some of the presuppositions of their own work explicit.
• Critically reflect at an advanced level on the question of what philosophy is and how it should be done.
• Address in detail a specific issue relating to the nature and role of philosophy.

• Students will be able to:
• Make explicit and question some of the assumptions that underlie their thinking more generally.
• Recognise that academic thought is structured by a diversity of cultures and traditions, which are not always explicitly acknowledged by their 'inhabitants'.

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

• This module will involve 9 x 2 hour sessions which will take place during Michaelmas and Epiphany Term. One of these will be devoted to practical research skills and knowledge development and eight to the nature of philosophical methodology and the variety of philosophical perspectives.
• The eight Philosophical Perspectives seminars will each address a specific topic concerning the nature and role of philosophical enquiry. Seminar leaders will provide a general overview of a debate and will focus on specific questions relevant to the topic. Students will be encouraged to engage in the debates and to challenge the positions outlined. These sessions will teach the students about different conceptions of the relationships between philosophy and its subject matter and give them an understanding of distinctions between different philosophical traditions and perspectives.
• Students will write a self-standing formative essay, which reviews a key text or philosophical position discussed in or inspired by the seminars.
• For the summative essay, students will be required to focus on a specific research question, demonstrate advanced knowledge of the relevant literature, develop a critical understanding of relevant ideas, arguments and philosophical perspectives and put forward a rigorous position in the form of a clear, structured philosophical argument.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One essay of 2,000 words.

■ 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