HUM6032 - Modern Philosophy of the Person

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
The ability to engage critically with contemporary philosophical questions utilising a range of philosophical concepts and positions, with the aim of constructing new ideas and approaches;
Knowledge of how recent cultural and technological developments have been identified as significant by philosophers;
The deployment of appropriate skills for discussing and engaging with contemporary issues in a variety of media and interdisciplinary contexts;
The capacity to analyse, construct and defend philosophical arguments and positions at a high level.

Content:

The module explores meta-philosophical debates relating to the nature, value and status of philosophy. It has a particular focus on the current status of the discipline, how it might develop in the future to address contemporary and future challenges, such as multiculturalism, hybridity of the person, trans/posthumanism and virtual identities.

In the first half of the module, students will select issues or themes with reference to pre-prepared passages from Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit with particular attention to the way in which Hegel incorporates history, the body, art and social life into philosophical inquiry. These passages will be paired with a range of extracts from subsequent philosophers who take up, develop and/or critique them. Students are expected to develop these lines of inquiry through independent research and to reflect upon the complex relationships between philosophical method and the relevant social and cultural settings.

In the second half of the module students will be encouraged to carry forward their work from the first half and to identify and pursue their own lines of inquiry into the kinds of reciprocal relations that might need to be established between philosophy and potential future social, cultural and technological developments.

Throughout the module the interdisciplinary nature and global context of contemporary philosophy will be emphasised and developed.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The course will be taught in plenary sessions which will make use of a blend of teaching and learning methods. These will normally include: lecture-style presentations by the tutor; seminar-style discussion of a particular topic; informal prepared presentations by students, followed by discussion; formal assessment by presentation to the rest of the group; other exercises as appropriate to material and group. Guidance on reading in preparation for each session and activity will be given; and learning will be supported where appropriate by VLE and other electronic resources. Guidance on research and essay-writing will be embedded in the learning and teaching process throughout the module; and may also be supported by tutorial guidance on essay plans if required. Where possible, learning will be supplemented with site visits. Research methods that aid fieldwork will also be considered where appropriate and, whenever possible, put into practice.

Seminars
Contact Hours: 32
Intended Group Size: Cohort

Guided independent study
Hours: 168

Further details relating to assessment
The portfolio will comprise 4 individual elements (not to exceed the maximum allowed in the final submission). Elements will be expected to cover: overview key trends in the history of personhood; analyses of key concepts; book review of key secondary text; close analysis of selected passages. Guidance on these topics will be provided in class and informal feedback will be provided. The pieces will be submitted as a single item.

Students may also negotiate their assessment topic with the lecturer.

Assessment:

001 Presentation; 15 minutes; mid semester 1 50%
002 Essay; 2,000 words; end semester 1 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Shyane Siriwardena
Level - 6
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 6S1

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