Programme of Study Catalogue

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
demonstrate detailed and specific knowledge of the methodologies and concepts of philosophical attempts to understand the person;
demonstrate ability to enter into deep critical and exegetical dialogue with a selected philosophical text that centrally defines the nature of personhood;
demonstrate sophisticated critical and analytical skills through the analysis of philosophical arguments, concepts and ideas;
demonstrate ability to construct and defend philosophical arguments and positions on the nature of the person, understanding the implications of these positions for a range of related issues.

Content:

This module is part of the core strand of philosophy provision. It builds on the approaches and ideas introduced in TRS 4512 Philosophy: Questions and Concepts and prepares the way for TRS 6342 The Future of Philosophy and the Philosophy of the Future.

Picking up from TRS 4512 it follows the chronological development of debates about the nature of mind, self and personal knowledge into the modern era. Twentieth-century movements such as phenomenology and existentialism draw upon ideas and concepts from the classical and early modern period, but develop them in more complex ways and within a more diverse cultural context - incorporating ideas more directly from the sciences, the arts and politics.

This topic will be explored through detailed analysis a single pre-specified philosophical text, selected for its relevance, significance, availability and the presence of an appropriate amount of supporting resources in the library. Texts that would fit the bill include, for example, Hume's A Treatise on Human Nature, Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, Bergson's Time and Free Will and Sartre's Existentialism and Humanism.

The module will focus on developing a capacity for close philosophical analysis, tracing the way questions about the person are constructed critically and coherently. It will also explore the wider scope of the philosophical traditions that have subsequently extended, amended or critiqued the claims of the given text. In doing so it prepares students for TRS 6342, the final module in the core strand of philosophy provision, in which potential and future developments are considered.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The module 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 or visiting lecturers; seminar-style discussion of a particular topic; prepared presentations by students, followed by discussion; 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 and feedback on sumitted work.

Lecture
Contact hours: 16

Seminar, group work, tutorial, etc
Contact hours: 18

Guided Independent Learning
(including preparatory reading for sessions, portfolio/essay research and writing, online activities and/or examination revision).
Hours :166

Further details relating to assessment
The portfolio will consist of 6 portfolio entries, each of 300-400 words in length (not to exceed the maximum allowed in the final submission). These will be assessed throughout the module, with a submission due approximately every two weeks, and submitted together as a pack at the end of the module.

Assessment:

001 Portfolio 1 x 2000 words equiv. end of semester 50%
002 Essay 1 x 2000 words end of semester 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Efram Sera-Shriar
Level - 5
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 5S1