Department of Philosophy. Module descriptions 20118/19. Level C (i.e. normally 1 st Yr.) Modules

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Department of Philosophy. Module descriptions 20118/19. Level C (i.e. normally 1 st Yr.) Modules"

Peter Cunningham
5 years ago
Views:

1 Department of Philosophy Module descriptions 20118/19 Level C (i.e. normally 1 st Yr.) Modules Please be aware that all modules are subject to availability. If you have any questions about the modules, please contact calincomingexchangemodules@contacts.bham.ac.uk. For many of these modules, some experience of studying Philosophy may be required, and you should remember this when choosing your modules. If there is another module that you need to have studied before taking this, it will be stated in the module description. Please note that at the time this document has been prepared (March 2018) the following information is provisional, and there may be minor changes between now and the beginning of 2018/19 academic year.

2 Philosophical Traditions MODULE CODE Assessments: 1 x 1500 word essay and 1 x centrally timetabled exam (each contributing 50% to the final module mark). Fortnightly one-hour seminar: (times TBA) Departments of Philosophy within Britain tend to fall within the analytic tradition, exclusively examining the views of Western philosophers. This module breaks with tradition and gives an introduction to alternative views (which we continue to examine in later years) and giving students a chance to get a taste for different sometimes less conventional approaches. As the module is research-led the exact content will vary depending upon the module convenor. Example traditions examined include Eastern philosophy (examining, e.g., the philosophy of change and harmony; Confucianism; Buddhist questions about the nature of the self and the value of desire) and the Continental tradition (examining, e.g., existentialism, nihilism, and phenomenology, and getting an introduction to philosophers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, and Kierkegaard). The course will mainly consist of close reading of selected primary sources, with a close eye as to how the material studied may connect with other issues/themes raised on the course. Students will get an introduction to some of the basics of the tradition(s) as well as an insight as to how they connect with the more traditional analytic practices.

3 Formal Logic MODULE CODE One problem set and one one-hour centrally-timetabled exam (each contributing 50% to the final module mark). Weekly one-hour seminar: (times TBA) Logic is concerned with the evaluation of arguments, and thus with the very foundations of philosophy. In formal logic this project is pursued using special abstract languages known as propositional logic and quantified logic. In this module, students learn to translate English sentences into formulas of logical symbolism, and to assess the validity of arguments couched in those formal terms. Some applications of the formal machinery to standard philosophical problems will be considered along the way. Textbook: We ll make regular use of (some sections of) Bergman et al., The Logic Book (McGraw-Hill Education). Note that although the university library will have several copies of this, it will not have enough for everyone, an ebook is not available, and new copies of the latest edition are very expensive. However, you can purchase very cheap second-hand copies online (especially bearing in mind that you don t need the latest edition the 4 th 5 th or 6 th are fine). Note also that this book will also cover the 2 nd yr logic module (Logic: It s Scope and Limits) so if you re likely to take module next year, you should definitely consider buying a copy. A complication, however is that most of these are from the US, so since postage from there takes some time, you ll need to order well in advance. See e.g. Abebooks.co.uk for lots of inexpensive purchase options (generally around 7- incl. p&p from the US):

4 Logic Through Language MODULE CODE One problem set and one one-hour centrally-timetabled exam (each contributing 50% to the final module mark). Weekly one-hour seminar: (times TBA) In this module students are offered an alternative informal route into competence with logical concepts which you ll need to do philosophy in general. We begin by thinking about what makes for good arguments, looking at deductive validity and soundness, before introducing the concepts of truth value, truth function, and truth tables. We then turn to propositional logic and property predicate logic. Our approach throughout will be logic through language, and we will work on translations of natural English into logical notation, and vice versa, thinking carefully about whether certain words in natural language can be captured by their logical notation. Textbook: Lepore, Ernest and Cumming, Sam 2013: Meaning and Argument: An Introduction to Logic Through Language. Wiley-Blackwell. 2 nd Revised Edition. There are several editions of this text. Only the correct edition is available as a free ebook from the library. If you are buying the text, the correct edition is the 2 nd revised edition (orange cover!).

5 Philosophy of Religion MODULE CODE One 1500 word essay and one one-hour centrally-timetabled exam (each contributing 50% to the final module mark). Fortnightly one-hour seminar: (times TBA) Philosophy of religion is the rigorous philosophical study of religious beliefs, doctrines and arguments. In this module we will discuss such central questions in the field as: Are there successful arguments for the existence of God? Are there successful arguments against the existence of God? What attributes does/should God have? Is it rational to believe in God without evidence? Are religious doctrines coherent? Is there life after death? Is religion compatible with science? Can there be miracles? Through discussion of such questions, we will cover a range of philosophical positions in the philosophy of religion and evaluate such positions critically. The module will develop the ability to argue philosophically, analyze and evaluate the arguments of others, and interpret philosophical literature.

6 Political Philosophy MODULE CODE One 1500 word essay and 1 x centrally timetabled exam (each contributing 50% to the final module mark). Fortnightly one-hour seminar: (times TBA) This module introduces some of the fundamental issues of Western Political Philosophy. In particular, it will discuss the nature of political authority and obligation, the role and function of the state, and the purposes and justification of government. This will pave the way for a discussion of what is arguably the central question of political philosophy: Why should I obey the state? The module will be taught through an examination of four of the key texts of Western political thought.

7 Moral Problems MODULE CODE One 1500 word essay and one one-hour centrally-timetabled exam (each contributing 50% to the final module mark). Fortnightly one-hour seminar: (times TBA) Fundamental ethical disagreements in our society just do not seem to go away. These disagreements often concern matters of life and death and in many cases they lead to intense and emotional debates and sometimes even to violence. This module (in applied ethics) explores whether philosophy can offer us tools to make progress in debates about some of the most interesting ethical questions today. The topics covered may include torture, treatment of animals,, immigration, the regulation of recreational drugs and doping in sports. Each topic is introduced via one or two readings that offer a philosophical defence of a view about the ethical controversy in question. These readings will be both high quality, and accessible to students at this level. The module offers you an opportunity to learn some of the most interesting work recently done in applied ethics and practice the skill of evaluating philosophical and ethical arguments. You will also be able to explore your own views on the covered ethical questions and to defend them both in discussions and in writing.

Department of Philosophy. Module descriptions 2017/18. Level C (i.e. normally 1 st Yr.) Modules

Department of Philosophy. Module descriptions 2017/18. Level C (i.e. normally 1 st Yr.) Modules Department of Philosophy Module descriptions 2017/18 Level C (i.e. normally 1 st Yr.) Modules Please be aware that all modules are subject to availability. If you have any questions about the modules,