Undergraduate Course: Philosophy (LLLI07029)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | What can we know? What is consciousness? How important is freedom as a political goal? How should I act? Does life have meaning? Through discussion of questions such as these, this course offers an introduction to some of the main areas of philosophy and a range of key issues in each area |
| Course description |
This course is intended to provide an entry point to the credit study of philosophy at COL. The 20-credit model will allow proper time for students to develop understanding and key academic skills and to benefit from formative assessment and feedback.
The course will introduce students to some of the central issues in philosophy. Its objective is to introduce philosophical topics and problems in a form suitable for students with little or no prior background in the subject. The course will focus on four main areas: human life and its meaning; knowledge and certainty; political philosophy; philosophy of mind. The course also aims to improve students¿ skills in critical reading, critical thinking, and written and oral communication, through participation in class discussion and the writing of essays.
The course will cover four core areas of philosophy and will be broken down into four thematic teaching blocks, each comprising four or five sessions. The following topics will be discussed:
1. Human life and its meaning: In the first thematic teaching block, philosophical treatments of the meaning and worth of human life will be explored. Beginning with some of the answers offered by thinkers in the ancient world, the block will move forwards to our own day, exploring the substance of a variety of religious and non-religious answers, as well as the appropriateness of the question itself.
2. Knowledge and certainty: In the second half of the first semester, basic issues in epistemology will be examined through classic readings in idealism, empiricism and common-sense realism.
3. Political philosophy: In the third teaching block, central topics in political philosophy will be considered, with a particular emphasis on political authority and the state. The topics discussed will include contractarianism, freedom and equality.
4. Mind and body: In the final semester, the course will introduce classic topics in philosophy of mind such as dualism, the problem of other minds, functionalism and the problem of consciousness.
The course will be taught by a mixture of lectures, tutor-led discussions and group work. Students will be encouraged to read relevant material before each class, including extracts from the works of key philosophers. The tutor will then develop discussion based on the reading and encourage the students to develop both their understanding of the basic issues, the particular approach of the reading to that topic, and to engage critically with that approach. Emphasis will be placed on developing both an understanding of key philosophical positions and a willingness and ability to assess critically those positions.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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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:
- Demonstrate an understanding of basic issues in philosophy, for example scepticism concerning knowledge
- Identify the positions of various philosophers on these issues
- Critically read historical and contemporary philosophical texts
- Analyse and assess philosophical arguments and the concepts that they employ
- Express ideas and arguments orally and in writing, with particular attention to clarity, precision and concision
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Reading List
Essential:
Cottingham, J., ed. 2008. Western Philosophy: An Anthology, 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell.
Recommended:
Blackburn, S. 1999. Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nagel, T. 1987. What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Warburton, N. 2012. Philosophy: the Basics, 5th ed. London: Routledge.
Online sources:
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at https://www.rep.routledge.com/
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at http://www.iep.utm.edu/
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at http://plato.stanford.edu/
Handouts
Any other materials will be provided by the tutor
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By the end of the course, students should have strengthened their skills in critical analysis and participation in group discussion.
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| Keywords | epistemology,history of ideas,meaning of life,philosophy,philosophy of mind,political philosophy |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Douglas Dougan
Tel:
Email: ddougan@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr John Ethcuit
Tel: (0131 6)50 3409
Email: jethcuit@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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