5AANB002 Greek Philosophy II: Aristotle
THIS MODULE IS RUNNING IN 2018-19
Credit value: 15
Module tutor: Professor Raphael Woolf
Assessment:
2019-20
- Summative assessment: 1 x 2,500 word essay (100% each)
- Formative assessment: 1 x 2,000 word essay
2018-19
- Summative assessment: 2 x 2,000 word essays (50% each)
- Formative assessment: 1 x 2,000 word essay
Students are reassessed in the failed elements of assessment and by the same methods as the first attempt.
Teaching pattern: one one-hour weekly lecture and one one-hour weekly seminar over ten weeks
Pre-requisites: none (while the module will build on the knowledge students have of Greek Philosophy for those who have it, the module does not presuppose any and can be taken without prerequisite).
This module is designed to introduce 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 early part of the course we will explore some of the basic themes of Aristotle’s epistemology, metaphysics and philosophy of nature. We will then focus on key topics from his psychology and ethics, perhaps of all his wide-ranging enquiries the areas that continue to provide the greatest stimulus for contemporary thinkers.
Further information
Module aims
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.
Learning outcomes
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.
Past Syllabi
Please note that module syllabus and topic covered may vary from year to year.
Core reading and indicative lists of topics/reading list
-
Aristotle, Selections, tr. T. Irwin and G. Fine (Indianapolis 1995)
J. Lear, Aristotle: The Desire to Understand (Cambridge 1988)
M. Nussbaum and A Rorty, Essays on Aristotle's de Anima (Oxford 1995)
R. Kraut (ed.), The Blackwell Guide to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (Oxford 2006)
D. Bostock, Aristotle’s Ethics (Oxford 2000)
Indicative list of topics:
Aristotle’s theory of Knowledge
Aristotle’s theory of Substance and the Categories
Aristotle’s theory of natural change and causation
Aristotle’s account of perception, imagination and thought
Aristotle’s account of virtue and happiness
Indicative reading list:
Aristotle, Metaphysics I and Posterior Analytics
Aristotle, Categories 1-5
Aristotle, Physics II
Aristotle, On the Soul (De Anima) II and III
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics I, II and X
The modules run in each academic year are subject to change in line with staff availability and student demand so there is no guarantee every module will run. Module descriptions and information may vary between years.