HUM6012 - The Roots of Ideas: The Foundations of Western Thought

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of selected West European theorists and thinkers in the humanities and social sciences from the ancient world until the late twentieth century.
demonstrate an ability to apply theories and philosophies which they have studied to particular issues or topics, such as the nature of freedom, the ideal political community, equality, gender roles, war and peace, aesthetics etc.
exhibit a high level of ability to present ideas orally and to sustain debate.

Content:

Students will study theories and philosophies of normally seven thinkers in philosophy, politics, and the social sciences, such as (for example) Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, and Marx and Engels. They will be concentrating primarily on key texts among the thinkers’ works. They will be required to compare and contrast the theories and ideas of each thinker in class debates, and to apply them to such issues and topics (for example) civic responsibility, power, equality, race and gender, and the role of religion and culture in a civic community. The theorists studied, and the topic/issue chosen for the oral presentation may vary from year to year and could be selected with attention to the nature of the cohort of students (e.g. should the cohort consist primarily of theologians, a greater number of theological thinkers could be selected). The module will develop theoretical and critical understanding and knowledge appropriate to preparation for post-graduate study within the humanities; and will develop the ability to explain and experiment with ideas, particularly in a verbal form through debate and discussion.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Lectures and seminars/workshops will be the principal modes of delivery, the latter in particular featuring extensive discussion and debate. Learning will be supported by hand-outs, and by preparation and reading before each seminar as directed by the tutors.

Lectures/Seminars/Workshops
Hours: 34
Intended Group size: 25

Individual Tutorials
Hours: 15 minutes
Intended Group size: 1

Guided independent study
Hours: 165.75

Further details relating to assessment
The oral presentation will focus on a theme (announced at least 3 weeks in advance, after formal teaching has ceased), and they will be required to consider the contributor made by all seven thinkers to our understanding of this issue. Candidates will be expected to produce a semi-structured handout for the oral presentation, containing key points, quotations and references etc, and failure to do so will affect their mark. The presentation will last 15 minutes with a further 15 devoted for debate.

Assessment: