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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Centre for Open Learning : Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Undergraduate Course: Medieval Philosophy (LLLI07021)

Course Outline
SchoolCentre for Open Learning CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryTHIS IS A FOR-CREDIT ONLY COURSE OFFERED BY THE CENTRE FOR OPEN LEARNING (COL); ONLY STUDENTS REGISTERED WITH COL SHOULD BE ENROLLED.

The course will provide an introduction to medieval philosophy through an examination of the ideas of a selection of key figures and a number of key themes, such as: the tension between Platonism and Aristotelianism, the relationship of religion and philosophy, and the question of realism in metaphysics.
Course description 1. Overview. An introduction to the main themes, figures and developments in medieval philosophy.
2. The Platonic tradition (I): Augustine, Pseudo-Dionysius, Bonaventure.
3. The Platonic tradition (II): Augustine, Pseudo-Dionysius, Bonaventure (continued).
4. Arabic and Jewish sources: al-Farabi, Avicenna, Averroes and Maimonides.
5. Thomas Aquinas: Metaphysics
6. Thomas Aquinas: Moral philosophy.
7. Duns Scotus
8. William of Ockham
9. Scholasticism and its interpretations: Suarez, Neo-Thomism and twentieth century debates.
10. Final discussion. An opportunity to consider the course as a whole and to return to specific issues in the light of that overview.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge of some key ideas in medieval philosophy;
  2. Demonstrate an awareness of the diversity of medieval thought and its development over the period;
  3. Use some of the basic skills, techniques and practices associated generally with reading philosophical texts;
  4. Present and evaluate some central arguments and ideas of medieval philosophy.
Reading List
Essential:
Essential readings will consist of extracts from a range of primary sources provided in class or via links to internet sources.

Recommended:
Spade, P. 2009. Medieval Philosophy. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy [online] Available at: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/medieval-philosophy/

Further recommendations:

Coplestone, F.C., 1952. Medieval philosophy. [e-book] London: Methuen. Available through: Internet archive https://archive.org/details/medievalphilosop00copl

De Wulf, M., 1922. Mediaeval philosophy illustrated from the system of Thomas Aquinas. [e-book] Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Available through: Open Library https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6647758M/Mediaeval_philosophy_illustrated_from_the_system_of_Thomas_Aquinas

Kenny, A. 2007. Medieval philosophy: a new history of western philosophy vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Web Sources:
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Password access):
http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk/resources/databases/findlita.shtml

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
http://plato.stanford.edu/
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Critical assessment of complex ideas ;
Ability to convey that assessment in a well-structured and coherent form, both orally and in writing;
Participation in group discussion.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserMr James Mooney
Tel: (0131 6)51 6079
Email: james.mooney@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr John Ethcuit
Tel: (0131 6)50 3409
Email: jethcuit@exseed.ed.ac.uk
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