European Philosophy

Core Modules

• Advanced Topics in Philosophy I

  The aim of this module is to allow students to engage with research from across the range of philosophical sub-fields. The module also allows students to develop their understanding of the nature of philosophy and the diversity of philosophical methods, as well to further improve their abilities at written and oral communication of philosophical ideas and arguments. The module will be taught by a number of philosophers who teach on the wider MA programmes, and will be divided into four parts, each presenting a five week introduction to a topic researched by the academic. It will allow students enrolled on the different MA Philosophy streams to compare approaches, and see their own specialism within a wider philosophical context.

• Advanced Topics in Philosophy II

  This module is paired with the Autumn Term Advanced Topics in Philosophy I.  Its aim is to allow you to engage with cutting edge research from across the range of philosophical sub-fields, and for you to develop an understanding of the nature of philosophy and the diversity of philosophical methods, as well to further improve your written communication of philosophical ideas and arguments.

• MA Philosophy Dissertaton

  The aim of the module is to produce a dissertation which illuminates a key issue or issues in the areas of philosophy studied on the MA. The dissertation is an individual piece of work produced in tandem with the dissertation supervisor, who will oversee the research through face-to-face meetings and/or email correspondence. The content depends on the topic chosen and on the approach to the topic agreed with the supervisor. Supervisors are assigned early in the Spring Term, and the number, frequency, and length of supervisory meetings is to be determined by supervisor and student.

• Academic Integrity

  This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.

   

You will take two from the following:

• The European Philosophical Legacy

  This module will explore canonical thinkers and texts in the European (particularly German) tradition of philosophy, exploring the differences of interpretation which arise from various approaches to texts in the history of philosophy.

• Twentieth Century French Philosophy

  The aim of this module is to give students an understanding of the key moments in the development of the Twentieth century French philosophical tradition. The focus will be on showing how the French tradition develops an alternative approach to philosophical problems on the basis of the perceived failure of classical analytical approaches. The module will also allow students to engage with a number of theorists, studying key texts in depth, and will further develop their ability to express, question, and justify theoretical theories, both dialogically, and in writing.

• Contemporary Continental Political Theory

  The module will introduce students to key questions and arguments concerning the relationship between identity, power, meaning and knowledge, and how these impact on political thought and practice, through examination of key figures in contemporary Continental political thought.  The specific content will be decided in discussion with the students taking the module, but in past years thinkers have included Marx, Nietzsche, Lenin, Heidegger, Adorno, Sartre, Arendt, Schmitt, Lacan, Žižek, Deleuze and Guattari (their individual and collaborative works), Foucault, and Rancière.

Optional Modules

There are a number of optional course modules available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course modules that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new modules may be offered or existing modules may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.

• Philosophy of Psychiatry

  This module covers various issues in the philosophy of psychiatry. Addressing these issues requires the application of insights from a range of philosophical fields, including philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of medicine, practical ethics, and metaphysics. Studying philosophy of psychiatry can be a great way to think about some difficult, highly theoretical philosophical issues including free will, mental causation, and explanation, all of which find natural application in the field of psychiatry. Philosophy of Psychiatry is also one of the few areas of philosophy that routinely combines both ‘analytic’ and ‘continental’ philosophical perspectives.

• Cultivation of the Self

  In the late twentieth century, Anglophone and Francophone philosophy witnessed parallel trends in ethics, both drawing on aspects of ancient philosophy, focused on self-cultivation. The idea that ethics ought to be about the cultivation of a certain character rather than individual moral acts is now a well-established theme in both traditions. In the Anglophone context, ‘virtue ethics’ turned to Aristotle for inspiration, while in France Foucault’s ‘care of the self’ drew on Hellenistic and Greco-Roman practices. This module will examine both of these traditions, exploring common ground and differences, as well as criticisms that have been levelled against both. Throughout the module special attention will be paid to the motivations and outcomes in the different versions of self-cultivation that have been proposed.

• Identity, Power and Radical Political Theory

  This module aims to introduce students to new conceptualizations of identity, difference, power, and politics that are associated most notably with what has been termed “Post-Marxist” or “New Left” politics and political philosophy.  Its premise is that recent changes in both political theory and practice – some of which are associated with changes linked to globalization and the emergence of new social movements – are compelling a paradigm shift in the way politics is understood.  It will focus on four concepts – identity, power, resistance, and otherness – that have become salient in contemporary political philosophy and international relations theory and on four theorists – Althusser, Gramsci, Laclau & Mouffe, and Foucault – whose thought on these issues has underpinned a great deal of “New Left” political theory and practice.  It will also look at how these issues and theories have become prominent in the theory and politics around feminism and lesbian politics and at new problematics for thinking about political thought and practice, with particular focus on what has been called the “micropolitical” realm.

• Human Rights: From Theory to Practice

  This module explores some of the key issues which arise in the moral evaluation of human rights, both in general and with respect to particular rights. You will consider the role of rights in political and moral discourse and develop an understanding of some of the key criticisms to which they’ve been subject. You will also look at the three major categories of rights which have attracted much debate: economic rights, minority rights, and group rights. Finally, you will gain an oversight of the three central rights in liberal societies, examining the ways in which they have been interpreted and defended in light of recent political debates.

• Political Concepts

  The module aims to give an advanced grounding in the central ideas and concepts in contemporary Anglo-American political theory, enabling you to engage in its ongoing debates, and to acquire a sense of the state of the discipline as a whole.  Attention will be paid to some of the main ideas and concepts of contemporary political theory, including political obligation, punishment, egalitarianism, meritocracy, human rights, and global justice.  Throughout, we will explore how different thinkers have offered different theoretical articulations of these ideas, as well as their practical implications. The module aims to enable you to offer critiques and commentary of various positions in contemporary political theory, and to develop your own ideas.