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First semester:
History of Philosophy
|MA
|Part Time, Full Time
| Admissions status: OpenSTRUCTURE OVERVIEW
Core programme content
- Dissertation (60 credits).
Indicative non-core content
NB The following modules are likely to be offered in 2013-14, although this is not set in stone. Occasionally, we might need to drop a module, for instance if there is insufficient demand for it from students; but, equally, there is a chance that a few other modules not listed here might end up getting added to the list. The timings, i.e. whether a module is taught in the first or the second semester, are also subject to possible revision: but the final provision should end up looking pretty close to this. Each of these modules is worth 20 credits, except where specified.
You must take at least 80 credits worth of optional modules on topics in the History of Philosophy. Available modules are expected to include:
First semester:
- Early Modern Philosophy
- Greek Philosophical Texts I: Plato (note: presupposes some competence in the ancient Greek language)
- Greek Philosophy I: Plato
- Indian Philosophy I: The Orthodox Schools
- Nineteenth-Century Continental Philosophy.
Second semester:
- Foundations of Analytic Philosophy
- Greek Philosophical Texts II: Aristotle (note: presupposes some competence in the ancient Greek language)
- Greek Philosophy II: Aristotle
- Greek Philosophy III: Special Topics (note: the topic for 2012-13 will probably be Neoplatonism)
- Indian Philosophy II: The Heterodox Schools
- Kant I: Critique of Pure Reason
- Kant II: Moral Philosophy
- Medieval Philosophy
In addition, you may also take up to 40-credits from the following modules we anticipate to be available in 2013-14.
Both semesters:
- General Philosophy (40 credits)
First semester:
- Aesthetics
- Epistemology
- Ethics
- Metaphysics
- Philosophy of Biology
- Philosophy of Medicine
Philosophy of Mind - Philosophy of Psychology I
- Philosophy of Religion
- Philosophy of Science
- Political Philosophy
- Set Theory (note: presupposes some competence in basic symbolic logic)
- Theory of Grammar
Second semester:
- Epistemology II
- Ethics of Science & Technology
- Modal Logic (note: presupposes some competence in basic symbolic logic)
- Perspectives on Death & Killing
- Philosophy of Language
- Philosophy of Mind II: Special Topics
- Philosophy of Physics
- Philosophy of Psychology II
- Theories of Meaning
FORMAT AND ASSESSMENT
Mostly taught through lectures and seminars. Assessment methods vary from module to module, but will largely revolve around either sat examinations or submitted essays. Candidates also write a dissertation over the summer.MODULES
More information on typical programme modules.
NB it cannot be guaranteed that all modules are offered in any particular academic year.
NB it cannot be guaranteed that all modules are offered in any particular academic year.
Teaching staff: Professor MM McCabe
Module code: 7AAN2023
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework; practical/s;
This module is intended for students who have studied ancient Greek for at least one year, and who wish to gain experience in the close examination of the works of Plato in the original language. A portion of the set text is prepared for translation each week, along with a philosophical commentary upon it. The emphasis is upon the student's own critical engagement with both the language and philosophical content of the texts, both as independent works and in their philosophical, historical and cultural contexts. Secondary literature is used to stimulate and guide discussion. In this way, the students are assisted in penetrating the meaning of these texts further than the study of them merely in translation could achieve.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2023.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2023
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework; practical/s;
Formative assessment: weekly translation exercises, with a philosophical commentary; plus one x 2,000-word formative essay, viz. a translation and philosophical commentary on a passage of approximately 15 linesSummative assessment: One x two-hour end of year examination, viz. translation and philosophical commentary on two passages of approximately 15 lines
This module is intended for students who have studied ancient Greek for at least one year, and who wish to gain experience in the close examination of the works of Plato in the original language. A portion of the set text is prepared for translation each week, along with a philosophical commentary upon it. The emphasis is upon the student's own critical engagement with both the language and philosophical content of the texts, both as independent works and in their philosophical, historical and cultural contexts. Secondary literature is used to stimulate and guide discussion. In this way, the students are assisted in penetrating the meaning of these texts further than the study of them merely in translation could achieve.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2023.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr Will Rasmussen
Module code: 7AAN2024
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework; practical/s;
This module is intended for students who have studied ancient Greek for at least one year, and who wish to gain experience in the close examination of the works of Aristotle in the original language. A portion of the set text is prepared for translation each week, along with a philosophical commentary upon it. The emphasis is upon the student's own critical engagement with both the language and philosophical content of the texts, both as independent works and in their philosophical, historical and cultural contexts. Secondary literature is used to stimulate and guide discussion. In this way, the students are assisted in penetrating the meaning of these texts further than the study of them merely in translation could achieve.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2024.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2024
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework; practical/s;
Formative assessment: weekly translation exercises, with a philosophical commentary; plus one x 2,000-word formative essay, viz. a translation and philosophical commentary on a passage of approximately 15 lines
Summative assessment: one x two-hour end of year examination, viz. translation and philosophical commentary on two passages of approximately 15 lines
This module is intended for students who have studied ancient Greek for at least one year, and who wish to gain experience in the close examination of the works of Aristotle in the original language. A portion of the set text is prepared for translation each week, along with a philosophical commentary upon it. The emphasis is upon the student's own critical engagement with both the language and philosophical content of the texts, both as independent works and in their philosophical, historical and cultural contexts. Secondary literature is used to stimulate and guide discussion. In this way, the students are assisted in penetrating the meaning of these texts further than the study of them merely in translation could achieve.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2024.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr Raphael Woolf
Module code: 7AAN2027
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework;
This course is designed to introduce the students to Aristotle's wonderfully rich but intricate philosophical writings by focusing on some of the most prominent topics in Aristotle's philosophy. Students will learn how to read, how to criticise, and how to make sense of Aristotle and will thus be in a position to benefit from the wealth of Aristotle's thought. In the first five weeks we will study Aristotle's Epistemology and Psychology, as well as parts of the Metaphysics and his Physics. The last five weeks are devoted to key topics in Aristotle's Ethics.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2027.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2027
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework;
Formative assessment: two x 1,500–2,000-word essays, due by end of semester or as otherwise instructed
Summative assessment: one x two-hour end of year examination
This course is designed to introduce the students to Aristotle's wonderfully rich but intricate philosophical writings by focusing on some of the most prominent topics in Aristotle's philosophy. Students will learn how to read, how to criticise, and how to make sense of Aristotle and will thus be in a position to benefit from the wealth of Aristotle's thought. In the first five weeks we will study Aristotle's Epistemology and Psychology, as well as parts of the Metaphysics and his Physics. The last five weeks are devoted to key topics in Aristotle's Ethics.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2027.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr Will Rasmussen
Module code: 7AAN2034
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar.
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework;
This module (along with 7AAN2035 Indian Philosophy II: The Heterodox Schools) is intended for students who wish to gain an introduction to Indian philosophy that looks carefully at the high standard of logic, epistemology, metaphysics and linguistics that grounded the various philosophical systems. The schools most fully examined are Mimamsa, Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Buddhism, Jainism and Advaita Vedanta. The examination of these schools makes use of translations of the primary texts and focuses upon the vigorous debate over conceptual analysis and argumentative strategies by which the schools presented their philosophical positions, defended them against attacks by other schools, and mounted in turn their own attacks. Studying Indian philosophy in this way demonstrates both the similarities and the philosophically important differences in the way the main issues of philosophy have been addressed in India and in the West.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2034.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2034
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar.
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework;
Formative assessment: 1 x 2,000–3,000-word essay, due by end of semester or as otherwise instructed
Summative assessment: 1 x 4,000-word essay
This module (along with 7AAN2035 Indian Philosophy II: The Heterodox Schools) is intended for students who wish to gain an introduction to Indian philosophy that looks carefully at the high standard of logic, epistemology, metaphysics and linguistics that grounded the various philosophical systems. The schools most fully examined are Mimamsa, Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Buddhism, Jainism and Advaita Vedanta. The examination of these schools makes use of translations of the primary texts and focuses upon the vigorous debate over conceptual analysis and argumentative strategies by which the schools presented their philosophical positions, defended them against attacks by other schools, and mounted in turn their own attacks. Studying Indian philosophy in this way demonstrates both the similarities and the philosophically important differences in the way the main issues of philosophy have been addressed in India and in the West.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2034.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr Will Rasmussen
Module code: 7AAN2035
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
This module (along with 7AAN2034 Indian Philosophy: The Orthodox Schools) is intended for students who wish to gain an introduction to Indian philosophy that looks carefully at the high standard of logic, epistemology, metaphysics and linguistics that grounded the various philosophical systems. The schools most fully examined are Mimamsa, Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Buddhism, Jainism and Advaita Vedanta. The examination of these schools makes use of translations of the primary texts and focuses upon the vigorous debate over conceptual analysis and argumentative strategies by which the schools presented their philosophical positions, defended them against attacks by other schools, and mounted in turn their own attacks. Studying Indian philosophy in this way demonstrates both the similarities and the philosophically important differences in the way the main issues of philosophy have been addressed in India and in the West.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2035.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2035
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: one x 2,000–3,000-word essay, due by end of semester or as otherwise instructed
Summative assessment: one x 4,000-word essay
This module (along with 7AAN2034 Indian Philosophy: The Orthodox Schools) is intended for students who wish to gain an introduction to Indian philosophy that looks carefully at the high standard of logic, epistemology, metaphysics and linguistics that grounded the various philosophical systems. The schools most fully examined are Mimamsa, Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Buddhism, Jainism and Advaita Vedanta. The examination of these schools makes use of translations of the primary texts and focuses upon the vigorous debate over conceptual analysis and argumentative strategies by which the schools presented their philosophical positions, defended them against attacks by other schools, and mounted in turn their own attacks. Studying Indian philosophy in this way demonstrates both the similarities and the philosophically important differences in the way the main issues of philosophy have been addressed in India and in the West.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2035.aspx
Teaching staff: Professor Mark Textor and Professor MM McCabe
Module code: 7AAN2037
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Intentionality has been a fundamental topic in Phenomenology. More recently, the topic has found its way (back) into analytic philosophy. Studies of intentionality were first inspired by Brentano's book, Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint (1874, 1914). Brentano's book is a commentary on Aristotle's De anima, written from the perspective of 19th century philosophy and psychology. Aristotle's work is the foundation of a theory of intentionality. This module will introduce students to philosophical theories of intentionality and perception through discussions of Aristotle's De anima and Brentano's Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint. We will mainly focus on the core texts, but if there is time and opportunity we will also look at authors such as Husserl or Sartre who have developed this tradition further.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2037.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2037
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: one x 2,000–3,000-word essay, due by end of semester or as otherwise instructed
Summative assessment: one x 4,000-word essay,
Intentionality has been a fundamental topic in Phenomenology. More recently, the topic has found its way (back) into analytic philosophy. Studies of intentionality were first inspired by Brentano's book, Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint (1874, 1914). Brentano's book is a commentary on Aristotle's De anima, written from the perspective of 19th century philosophy and psychology. Aristotle's work is the foundation of a theory of intentionality. This module will introduce students to philosophical theories of intentionality and perception through discussions of Aristotle's De anima and Brentano's Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint. We will mainly focus on the core texts, but if there is time and opportunity we will also look at authors such as Husserl or Sartre who have developed this tradition further.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2037.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr John Callanan
Module code: 7AAN2039
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
This course introduces students to the epistemology and metaphysics of Immanuel Kant. Kant's Critique of Pure Reason is examined in detail. Topics include Kant's treatment of the relation between experience and concepts; the nature of space and time; the concepts of substance and causality; knowledge of the external world and Kant's refutation of scepticism; the self and the unity of the thinking subject; human freedom, and its relation to the thesis of determinism; the doctrine of transcendental idealism.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2039.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2039
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: one x 2,000–3,000-word essay, due by end of semester or as otherwise instructed
Summative assessment: onex 4,000-word essay
This course introduces students to the epistemology and metaphysics of Immanuel Kant. Kant's Critique of Pure Reason is examined in detail. Topics include Kant's treatment of the relation between experience and concepts; the nature of space and time; the concepts of substance and causality; knowledge of the external world and Kant's refutation of scepticism; the self and the unity of the thinking subject; human freedom, and its relation to the thesis of determinism; the doctrine of transcendental idealism.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2039.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr Sacha Golob
Module code: 7AAN2053
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
This module introduces two of the most influential and subtle of modern philosophers: G.W.F. Hegel and Friedrich Nietzsche. Beginning with a brief overview of Kant’s philosophy, the course examines how Hegel and Nietzsche attempt, in very different ways, to refine, transform, or destroy the legacy of the Enlightenment. The focus, in particular, will be on the conception of the self, of normativity, and of the philosophical method, that emerges from texts such as Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit and Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morality. All texts will be studied in translation.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2053.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2053
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: one x 2,000–3,000-word essay, due by end of semester or as otherwise instructed
Summative assessment: one x 4,000-word essay
This module introduces two of the most influential and subtle of modern philosophers: G.W.F. Hegel and Friedrich Nietzsche. Beginning with a brief overview of Kant’s philosophy, the course examines how Hegel and Nietzsche attempt, in very different ways, to refine, transform, or destroy the legacy of the Enlightenment. The focus, in particular, will be on the conception of the self, of normativity, and of the philosophical method, that emerges from texts such as Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit and Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morality. All texts will be studied in translation.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2053.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr Jasper Reid
Module code: 7AAN2004
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: 1 x 2,000–3,000-word essay. Summative assessment: 1 x 4,000-word essay.
Is all extension corporeal, or might there be such a thing as empty and/or absolute space? Might spirits such as God or the human soul be extended? Is there really any such thing as extension at all, or does it only have an ideal existence in the mind? We will look at these and related issues, as they were handled by a range of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century authors, including Descartes, Gassendi, More, Newton, Malebranche, Spinoza, Bayle, Berkeley, Leibniz and Kant. Our focus will generally be a metaphysical one, but we will also touch on matters of physics, theology and epistemology.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2004.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2004
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: 1 x 2,000–3,000-word essay. Summative assessment: 1 x 4,000-word essay.
Is all extension corporeal, or might there be such a thing as empty and/or absolute space? Might spirits such as God or the human soul be extended? Is there really any such thing as extension at all, or does it only have an ideal existence in the mind? We will look at these and related issues, as they were handled by a range of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century authors, including Descartes, Gassendi, More, Newton, Malebranche, Spinoza, Bayle, Berkeley, Leibniz and Kant. Our focus will generally be a metaphysical one, but we will also touch on matters of physics, theology and epistemology.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2004.aspx
Teaching staff:
Module code: 7AAN2026
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework;
This course is designed to give not only an overview of some of the most important topics in Plato’s philosophy, but also to raise critical points and to offer different interpretative strategies, thus providing the student with the knowledge and skills required to study Plato independently. By working through two of Plato’s most influential works, the Republic and the Timaeus, we will cover Plato’s Ethics, Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Natural Philosophy
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2026.aspx
Professor MM McCabe
Module code: 7AAN2026
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework;
Formative assessment: two x 1,500–2,000-word essays, due by end of semester or as otherwise instructed
Summative assessment: one x two-hour end of year examination
This course is designed to give not only an overview of some of the most important topics in Plato’s philosophy, but also to raise critical points and to offer different interpretative strategies, thus providing the student with the knowledge and skills required to study Plato independently. By working through two of Plato’s most influential works, the Republic and the Timaeus, we will cover Plato’s Ethics, Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Natural Philosophy
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2026.aspx
Teaching staff: Module tutor: Dr Raphael Woolf
Lecturers: Dr Raphael Woolf; Dr Shaul Tor
Module code: 7AAN2031
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework;
Neoplatonism is the last ancient philosophical tradition, founded in the third century by Plotinus, who is the most important ancient thinker after Plato and Aristotle. Neoplatonism had a tremendous historical influence on subsequent philosophy, in both the European and Islamic worlds. It is also distinctive for its philosophical interest, as Neoplatonists were the first to explore such issues as the ineffability of God and the possibility of non-linguistic thought. The Neoplatonic tradition also devoted considerable attention to the interpretation and harmonization of Plato and Aristotle; thus anyone interested in the work of these two thinkers is likely to find Neoplatonism of interest too.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2031.aspx
Lecturers: Dr Raphael Woolf; Dr Shaul Tor
Module code: 7AAN2031
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: written examination/s; coursework;
Formative assessment: one x 2,000–3,000-word essay, due by end of semester or as otherwise instructed
Summative assessment: one x 4,000-word essay,
Neoplatonism is the last ancient philosophical tradition, founded in the third century by Plotinus, who is the most important ancient thinker after Plato and Aristotle. Neoplatonism had a tremendous historical influence on subsequent philosophy, in both the European and Islamic worlds. It is also distinctive for its philosophical interest, as Neoplatonists were the first to explore such issues as the ineffability of God and the possibility of non-linguistic thought. The Neoplatonic tradition also devoted considerable attention to the interpretation and harmonization of Plato and Aristotle; thus anyone interested in the work of these two thinkers is likely to find Neoplatonism of interest too.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2031.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr John Callanan
Module code: 7AAN2040
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern:
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: 1 x 2,000–3,000-word essay; Summative assessment: 1 x 4,000-word essay.
This course provides an introduction to the moral and aesthetic philosophy of Immanuel Kant. This year's course will focus upon Kant's moral philosophy and will involve a reading of a seminal text in the history of moral philosophy, Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. We will also look at some other of Kant’s ethical writings when appropriate. Through a reading of these texts, students will gain a critical understanding of the nature of a Kantian approach to the topics of morality and freedom.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2040.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2040
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern:
one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: 1 x 2,000–3,000-word essay; Summative assessment: 1 x 4,000-word essay.
This course provides an introduction to the moral and aesthetic philosophy of Immanuel Kant. This year's course will focus upon Kant's moral philosophy and will involve a reading of a seminal text in the history of moral philosophy, Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. We will also look at some other of Kant’s ethical writings when appropriate. Through a reading of these texts, students will gain a critical understanding of the nature of a Kantian approach to the topics of morality and freedom.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2040.aspx
Teaching staff: Dr Christopher Hughes
Module code: 7AAN2045
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Despite the negative connotations of the word “medieval,” the medieval period
saw major innovations in philosophy, in such areas as logic, metaphysics and theories of law and personhood. This module covers some of the main figures and topics in European medieval philosophy, beginning with formative figures of the late ancient world (such as Boethius and Augustine), stretching through earlier thinkers of the Christian medieval world like Anselm and Abelard, and finishing with the later period of Aquinas, Scotus and Ockham. In any given year, the module will cover a representative sample of these thinkers, without necessarily attempting to be comprehensive – the focus is on philosophical ideas, not giving a complete historical survey. Some attention will be paid to the interaction between philosophy and Christian religious commitments: many central themes in Philosophy of Religion first arose in the medieval period.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2045.aspx
Module code: 7AAN2045
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester: Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: one weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar
Assessment: coursework
Formative assessment: see module syllabus
Summative assessment: one x 4,000-word essay
Despite the negative connotations of the word “medieval,” the medieval period
saw major innovations in philosophy, in such areas as logic, metaphysics and theories of law and personhood. This module covers some of the main figures and topics in European medieval philosophy, beginning with formative figures of the late ancient world (such as Boethius and Augustine), stretching through earlier thinkers of the Christian medieval world like Anselm and Abelard, and finishing with the later period of Aquinas, Scotus and Ockham. In any given year, the module will cover a representative sample of these thinkers, without necessarily attempting to be comprehensive – the focus is on philosophical ideas, not giving a complete historical survey. Some attention will be paid to the interaction between philosophy and Christian religious commitments: many central themes in Philosophy of Religion first arose in the medieval period.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/philosophy/modules/level7/7aan2045.aspx
KEY FACTS
Programme leader/s
Dr Jasper Reid
Awarding institution
King's College London
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent)
UK 180/ECTS 90
Duration
One year FT, two years PT, September to September.
Location
Strand Campus.
Student destinations
Usually to further research; also to teaching, management, the financial or the public sector.
Year of entry 2013
Offered by