Linguistics and Philosophy BA

Linguistics core modules:

The Sounds of English

This module is an introduction to the subdisciplines of Linguistics known as Phonetics and Phonology, focusing specifically on the sounds of the English language. It is designed to provide a solid understanding of how speech sounds are made and how they function in use. The lectures will present descriptions of English speech sounsd and theories to explain their behaviour in a range of different accents and contexts, and the workshop classes will provide hands-on experience in using and thinking about the sounds of English. The module serves as an essential basis for more advanced linguistic study.

10 credits

The Structure of English

This module is an introduction to the syntax of natural languages, focussing on the syntactic structure of contemporary English. This module is intended as a sister module to the 10-credit 'Sounds of English' module, which runs in parallel. It is designed to provide a firm grounding in the descriptions of English sentence structure(s), and to introduce students to the main theories and methods of syntactic argumentation. The lectures will cover major topics in the formal description of English sentences, while the workshop classes will provide hands-on experience in analysing and thinking about sentence structure. The module serves as an essential basis for more advanced linguistic study.

10 credits

History of English

This module traces the history of the English language of the Fifth century AD through to the present day. Students will learn about the development of English over this period, looking at the factors which have shaped the language, and learning a variety of techniques for studying the language. The module will also introduce students to the range and variety of the English language at all periods, and to the ways in which English influences, and is influenced by, other languages.

20 credits

Linguistic Theory

This module explores how language is structured by examining central issues in linguistic theory, building upon the concepts introduced in EL112 Sounds of English and ELL113 Structure of English. Students will be instructed in (1) foundational theories and concepts in areas such as phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, (2) the linguistic evidence that informs these approaches, (3) the analytical techniques required to apply these theories to language data, and (4) the relevance of such theoretical models for the wider study of language. The module will develop analytical tools in using linguistic theory, training students to rigorously interpret language data within theoretical frameworks

20 credits

Varieties of English

This course explores the extraordinary diversity of the English language today, and is concerned with describing the features, use and status of contemporary varieties of English in Britain and around the world. Extraterritorial varieties are located within histories of expansion, colonialism, and globalisation, and considered in relation to the role of English as an international language. We investigate developments which led to the social and geographic distribution of certain present day varieties in Britain. Students will apply tools of description for all linguistic levels, and develop awareness of sociolinguistic aspects of language such as social indexing, attitudes and standardisation, as well as the relationship between variation and change.

20 credits

Linguistics optional modules:

Early Englishes

Early Englishes works backward over a whole millennium of English, 1600 to 600. Each week's lectures and seminar focus on one century and one text representative of that century (for example, Beowulf and Piers Plowman). We will use a variety of techniques , literary, linguistic, anthropological, cultural historical, to analyse each text, thereby opening up discussion of the issues that preoccupied the English of the time, from glorious monster-slaying to the slow surrender of pagan belief to terror at the imminent arrival of Antichrist and on to the first expressions of love and desire. Texts will initially be studied in translation so no prior knowledge of Old or Middle English is necessary, but students will also be given the opportunity to examine texts in the original language.

20 credits

Practical Stylistics

How are literary effects created through language? How can we describe these effects? This course will aim to provide literature students with a gentle introduction to language, and provide language students with experience of applying linguistic analysis to literary texts. The emphasis will be upon a practical hands-on approach, and topics covered will include sentence structure, lexical choice, cohesion, narrative structure, discourse analysis (with reference to drama and dialogue) and point of view in narrative fiction. The texts studied will be predominantly literary and twentieth century, and will include extracts from novels, plays, poetry and short stories.

20 credits

Philosophy group A modules:

Elementary Logic

The course will provide students with a theoretical knowledge of the fundamental parts of formal logic. It will also teach them a range of associated formal techniques with which they can then analyse and assess arguments. In particular, they will learn the languages of propositional and first-order logic, and they will learn how to use those languages in providing formal representations of everyday claims. They will also learn how to use truth-tables. Finally, students will learn how to prove things using that language.

10 credits

History of Philosophical Ideas

The history of philosophy is made up of a series of debates between competing philosophical traditions and schools: for example, idealists argue with realists, rationalists with empiricists. And at different times, distinctive philosophical movements have dominated the discussion, such as pragmatism, existentialism, phenomenology, analytic philosophy, and critical theory. This module will introduce you to some of these central movements and traditions in the history of philosophy from Plato onwards, and the key philosophical concepts and issues that they have brought in to western thought.

10 credits

Knowledge, Justification and Doubt

In our age of post-truth politics and fake news, this course aims to introduce students to philosophy by investigating some basic problems in epistemology (i.e. the philosophical study of knowledge). We will address questions such as: what knowledge is and why it is important; what truth is; what kinds of things can be known and how; if and how perceptual experience gives us knowledge of an ¿external¿ world; whether all knowledge has to be grounded in experience; whether knowledge is socially constructed (and if so whether that is necessarily problematic); what role justice plays in our epistemic practices.

10 credits

Mind, Brain and Personal Identity

This module provides an initial survey of a cluster of interrelated philosophical problems concerning the mind, free will, God, and the nature of persons. We will discuss questions like: What kind of thing is the mind? Is it a non-physical thing, like a soul? Or is it nothing over and above the brain? What is free will? Are we free? Does God exist? Is there an afterlife? What is a person? Do non-human animals have minds? Could they be persons? Could machines have minds or be persons?

20 credits

Philosophy of Science

The aim of this half-module is to introduce some of the philosophical issues that arise in science and through reflecting on science. Most of the questions considered concern the epistemology of scientific knowledge: how we should represent scientific theories, what counts as evidence for these theories, how scientific explanations work, and how far we can treat science as revealing to us the truth about the underlying nature of reality. This course aims to introduce these questions as philosophical issues in their own right and within in the context of the history of the philosophy of science.

10 credits

Reason and Argument

Arguments are everywhere - in our newspapers, on our television screens and radios, in books and academic papers, on blogs and other websites. We argue with our friends, families, teachers and taxi drivers. These arguments are often important ¿ they help us to decide what to do, what to believe, whom to vote for, what car to buy, what career path to follow, or where we should attend university (and what we should study). The ability to recognise, evaluate and produce arguments is therefore immeasurably valuable in every aspect of life.This course will teach you how to recognise an argument, how to understand it, how to evaluate and criticise it, and how to produce your own. Students in this module will learn how to extract an argument from a complex text, how to uncover hidden assumptions, and how to recognise and critique bad reasoning

10 credits

Writing Philosophy

Philosophical writing is a skill that you, the student, must hone early on in order to succeed in your degree. It is also a transferable skill that will serve you in your post-academic career. Philosophical writing combines the general virtues of clarity, organisation, focus and style found in other academic writing with particular philosophical virtues, namely, the ability to expose the implicit assumptions of analysed texts and to make explicit the logical structure of one's own and other people's arguments. A precondition of philosophical writing is a unique form of textual analysis that pays particular attention to its argumentative structure. In this module you will learn and practice philosophical writing. You will learn how to read in preparation for philosophical writing, learn how to plan an essay, learn how to rework your drafts and learn how to use feedback constructively. You will write fie drafts and five essays and will have one on on tutorial on each essay you write. The lectures in the course will be split between lectures of the art of writing and lectures on philosophical topics in the domain of fact and value. Essay topics will be based on the topical lectures and their associated readings

20 credits

Philosophy group B modules:

Death

This module is mainly about death itself [whereas PHI125 is mainly about killing}. What is death? What happens to us when we die? Could there be an afterlife? Would it be a good thing if there were? What is it about death that we dislike so much, or that makes it bad? Is it rational, or even possible to fear death? What is the right attitude towards our own death? Do we have moral duties towards the dead? The course will clarify these questions and attempt to answer them. Readings will be taken from both historical and contemporary sources.

10 credits

Film and Philosophy

This module introduces central themes in philosophy through the medium of films. Many films have clear philosophical themes and resonance, and we would choose a selection to cover a range of philosophical topics. For example: free will (The Matrix), death (The Seventh Seal), mind (Her), time travel (Back to the Future), technology (I, Robot), hope (The Road), evil (The Dark Knight). (The exact films shown will change from year to year.)

10 credits

History of Ethics

This unit offers a critical introduction to the history of ethical thought in the West, examining some of the key ideas of e.g. Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Bentham, Mill, Nietzsche, Rawls and Gilligan. It thus provides a textual introduction to some of the main types of ethical theory; the ethics of flourishing and virtue; deontology; utilitarianism; contractualism. The close interconnections between ethics and other branches of philosophy (e.g. metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics) will be highlighted, as will the connections between ethics and other disciplines (e.g. psychology, anthropology). Our main text will be Singer, P. (ed), 1994, Ethics, Oxford University Press.

10 credits

Matters of Life and Death

What is so bad about death? Is life always a good? Is it always wrong for someone to take their own life? Would it be wrong to help someone die painlessly who was already dying of a painful illness? Is abortion ever, or always, morally permissible? Do animals have rights which we infringe by killing them or making them suffer? What, if anything, do we owe to the starving of the world? How, if at all, is killing in war-time morally different from other forms of killing? This course is designed to encourage students to think carefully and constructively about a range of life-and-death moral dilemmas, developing skills of analysis and critical reasoning. Topics discussed will include: death; suicide; euthanasia; abortion; animals; famine relief; and war. Arguments for and against various positions on these questions will be looked at; and some use will be made of moral theory to illuminate the issues.

20 credits

Philosophy of Religion

There are two large questions typically considered by philosophers of religion. First, is there any good reason to believe that God exists? Second, are there reasons to think that the concept of God makes no sense? In this course we consider both questions. For the first question we look at two standard arguments for the existence of God: the Argument from Design and the First Cause Argument. As regards the second question, we consider the Problem of Evil: whether the existence of God, as generally conceived, is consistent with the existence of evil.

10 credits

Philosophy of Sex

Sex is one of the most basic human motivators, of fundamental importance in many people's lives, and a topic of enormous moral, religious, and political contention. No surprise, then, that it turns out to be of great philosophical interest. We will discuss moral issues related to sex' asking when we might be right to judge a particular sex act to be morally problematic; and what political significance (if any) sex has. We will also discuss metaphysical issues, such as the surprisingly difficult questions of what exactly sex is and what a sexual orientation is. Throughout our study, we will draw both on philosophical sources and on up-to-date contemporary information.

10 credits

Self and Society

The aim of this module is to introduce students to philosophical problems in social science about the nature of the individual person, and the relation between individuals and society. We shall be discussing how the identity of an individual is constituted, and whether this identity is determined socially or otherwise. We shall also be discussing what a genuinely liberal state might be like, and whether we can argue for the desirability of such a state from the nature and needs of the individual.

20 credits

Other optional modules in the School of English

Contemporary Literature

This module introduces students to a diverse range of texts in English (prose, poetry, and film) with a focus on texts published since 2000. Texts will be chosen to provoke thinking and debate on urgent and controversial topics that might include: globalisation and neoliberalism; ecology and animal lives; artificial intelligence and the posthuman; political activism and social justice; migration and displacement; state violence and armed conflict. We will discuss formally and conceptually challenging works, raise ethical and philosophical questions and begin to discover how current critical and theoretical approaches can help us to engage with contemporary texts.

20 credits

Introduction to Creative Writing

The aim of this unit is to help students to develop their expressive and technical skills in writing poetry and prose and to improve their abilities as an editor and critic of their own and other people's writing. Students will be guided in the production of new work and encouraged to develop an analytical awareness of both the craft elements and the wider cultural and theoretical contexts of writing. This module explores poetic techniques for creating new poems and narrative techniques for generating some prose work through the critical study of published examples, imaginative exercises, discussion and feedback on students' own writing. This exploration will help students to develop their own creative work while sharpening critical appreciation of published poetry and modern and contemporary fiction. The course is designed to give students the expereince of being workshopped as well as to establish basic creative writing techniques on Level 1 to preparing students for the challenges of Creative Writing Level 2.

20 credits

Shakespeare

This unit introduces students to the plays and poetry of William Shakespeare. Students will read a wide range of his works and will analyse them in the context of the cultural and historical energies of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England. We will consider the range of dramatic styles and genres that he engages, alongside the conditions of performance, kinds of publication, and the characteristics of the language in which he worked. We shall also relate the texts to critical methods that help illuminate the relationships between drama and the culture, politics, and religion of the period.

20 credits

Introduction to Cinema

This module aims to study a cross-section of the most important American films up to the present day and to develop both a formalist and an institutional analysis of these works. Its intention is to study the growth of the classical Hollywood style, a matter of a sophisticated range of technical stratagems as well as of a genre-based cinema, and of the institution of Hollywood itself, the most significant force in cinema to-day.

20 credits

Studying Theatre: A History of Dramatic Texts in Performance

Covering classical, contemporary and popular texts, Introduction to Theatre aims to turn an interest in theatre and theatre-going into a more thorough appreciation of the ways in which playwriting, acting, design and performance have shaped theatre's development. Each week students will study a particular play and the historical context that informed its first performances and its theatrical afterlife. The course emphasis is on theatre as a social practice and practical discipline. Seminars and lectures will focus on the play in performance, and the processes that underlie production. Students do not need previous knowledge or experience, but should be prepared to try some new approaches to texts, for example through practical workshops.

20 credits

Foundations in Literary Study: Biblical and Classical Sources in English Literature

This module provides foundational knowledge about the treatment of Biblical and Classical sources in English Literature. It is an important unit for the study of literature and the Humanities, preparing students for work at higher levels. Typically a Biblical or Classical source and a literary text will be discussed together, to expose a range of meanings and to prepare participants for their own research about both the Bible and Classical material as literature and the treatment of Bible and Classical material in Literature. It will also prepare students for independent research. It is recommended that all students of English take this module.

20 credits

Renaissance to Revolution

This module surveys the poetry and prose from the early modern period in England, i.e., that written between the beginnings of the sixteenth century through the seventeenth century to the late eighteenth century. We will look at different genres, from court complaint to sonnets, prose fiction, erotic verse, restoration drama and the works of writers such as Donne, Herbert, Spenser, Marlowe, Dyrden, Milton and Pope. The texts studied will be related to critical methods that help us understand the relationships between literature and the culture, society, and politics of the period in which it was produced.

40 credits

Linguistics optional modules:

Phonetics

This course will give students a broad overview of phonological theory, consider the development of modern framework and explore such framework in depth. It is hoped that students will have a working knowledge of phonology by the end of the course.

20 credits

Syntax

This module builds on what students have learnt in ELL113 Structure of English at Level 1, providing a more in-depth look at the structure and organising principles of sentences. We develop the tree structures students learn in first year, and see how these structures form a system of representation that can be used for any language. This involves thinking about the universal constraints on the grouping of words into phrases, and consideration of various operations that move elements around inside sentences to generate the word orders we see written or hear spoken, while at the same time ensuring that sentences satisfy formal constraints. In other words, the module provides an opportunity for students to think in more depth about why sentences are structured the way that they are.

20 credits

Language and Cognition

This module introduces students to the key theories and frameworks at the core of cognitive linguistics. The module explores the relationships between language and the human mind and considers how recent advances in the study of human cognition can enhance our understanding of the conceptual processes that underpin the production and reception of discourse. The module introduces students to such concepts as embodiment, prototypes, situated simulation, profiling, mental representation, conceptual mapping, and conceptual integration. The module equips students with the necessary knowledge and analytical skills to design and carry out their own investigations into language and cognition.

20 credits

Historical Linguistics

Language change is a fact of all living languages, and in this sense historical linguistics is just as much about the present and future of any given language as it is about its past. This module introduces historical linguistics as the branch of study that uses evidence for change to explain how and why languages change, how languages are related, and encourages students to reflect on and discuss the ways in which studying historical linguistics bears significantly on other areas of linguistics, in terms of theory, methods and fundamental questions about what language is, what it is for, and what it tells us. The subject will be approached by 1) levels of linguistic inquiry, i.e. to do with semantic, phonological, morphological, syntactic and pragmatic change; but also 2) from the perspective of 'big questions', e.g. language families and linguistic prehistory, the role of acquisition in change, methods of linguistic reconstruction, and historical sociolinguistics.

20 credits

Sociolinguistics

This module explores the workings of language in its rich social setting. It includes an investigation of accent and dialect, register and style in relation to social class, gender, age, ethinicity, region and social networks. The module also examines sociolinguistic situations around the world, such as multilingualism and diglossia, pidgins and creoles, new Englishes and other globalised forms of language. The module is intended to be enabling and offers an opportunity for students to develop a sense of their own ethical responsibilities as language users and analysts. Students will be provided with the methodological tools necessary to carry out independent fieldwork and will be encouraged to undertake their own exploration of sociolinguistics.

20 credits

Exiles and Monsters: An Introduction to Old English

This module explores the language and literature of Anglo-Saxon England, enabling students to read and understand the earliest English literature. Students will learn how to read Old English, developing a good understanding of Old English grammar and gaining familiarity with the language and literature through translating a range of set texts. The module will examine the historical background and cultural contexts of these texts, introducing students to the breadth and variety of Old English texts, and to differing critical approaches to them.

20 credits

First Language Acquisition

This second-year module is aimed at students who have already taken Introduction to Linguistics at Level 1. In this course, we focus specifically on the first language acquisition of syntactic (and semantic) knowledge. Addressing both theoretical and methodological issues, the course explores the relationship between the logical problem of language acquisition -- how very young children manage to acquire quite abstract and subtle properties of their target grammars in the absence of clear positive evidence -- and the developmental problem of acquisition -- how children recover from systematic errors, and acquire subtle language-specific properties. We also explore the related tension between nativist vs. emergentist explanations for language acquisition and development.

20 credits

Phonology

This module aims to examine phonological theories and the data on which they are constructed, exploring phonological organisation and processes in different languages. Segmental and prosodic (e.g. syllable-based) phenomena will be investigated, using rule- and constraint-based frameworks. As well as being a core part of theoretical linguistics, an understanding of phonology is essential to the studies of historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, speech pathologies, language acquisition, and computerised speech synthesis and recognition technologies.

20 credits

A Sense of Place: Local and Regional Identity

This module takes an interdisciplinary approach to issues of regional and local identity in contemporary Britain. Lectures focus on different aspects of the 'local' involved in the creation, dissemination and commodification of regional and local identity. Topics covered include: perceptual geography; archaeology; material culture; place-names; dialect; 'blason populaire' and regional sayings; regional literature; regional songs as 'anthems'; regional festivals and customs; the marketing of regions in the tourist industry. From 2006 the module will be involved in the 'Business in the Curriculum' initative. Students will work in teams with representatives of cultural and heritage organisation to solve 'real life' problems.

20 credits

Special Subject

This module will explore a different, cutting-edge topic on each run, reflecting the research expertise in the department. It will develop analytical tools in linguistics, appropriate to the topic and level of study. The topic may involve examining current issues in socio-, theoretical, historical, or applied linguistics, or any other area within the department's interests. As topics based on staff research are particularly encouraged, this module provides an excellent opportunity for students to experience explicitly research-led teaching. The analytical tools developed may include rigorously interpreting language data within theoretical frameworks, or evaluating competing influences in accounts of linguistic phenomena.

20 credits

Writing the Real

This module explores the often problematic relationship between literature and 'the real world', using a range of theoretical and stylistic approaches. We will consider why 'realism' is such a difficult term to get to grips with; why describing a text or film as 'realistic' can be a very politically charged act; how ideas of 'the real' have changed over time; and what effects the inclusion of 'real' materials into fictional works may have. We will explore 'the real' in a wide range literary texts and films, including works by Elizabeth Gaskell, Ken Loach and Harold Pinter.

20 credits

The History of Persuasion

In all areas of life language plays a crucial role in defining what kind of event is taking place, who is in a position of authority and whose assertions should be trusted and believed. The aim of this module is to explore the nature of texts produced within four different areas: science, religion, the mass-media, and the market place. We shall consider the linguistic characteristics of each discourse and discuss how authority is constructed and persuasion achieved within each area. We shall also examine the emergence of each discourse from a historical angle and explore the controversies which surround communication in all four contexts. Students will have the opportunity to use stylistic techniques in the analysis of both historical and contemporary texts and to explore the social and cultural history of communication. Where appropriate, comparisons will be drawn with more literary genres with the aim of investigating (and problematising) the distinction between literary and non-literary discourse.

20 credits

Other optional modules in the School of English:

Romanticism to Modernism (a)

This module focuses on a diverse range of texts (including poetry, prose, drama and film) produced between the late eighteenth to the late twentieth century. It pays detailed attention to the varied styles, issues, and movements produced by the rapid technological, political and cultural shifts that characterise these two centuries. Drawing on the expertise of the teaching team, the module introduces cutting-edge research carried out within the department in areas such as romanticism, the Gothic and science fiction, experimental literature, colonial and postcolonial contexts, war studies, and animal studies

40 credits

Romanticism to Modernism (b)

This module focuses on a diverse range of texts (including poetry, prose, drama and film) produced between the late eighteenth to the late twentieth century. It pays detailed attention to the varied styles, issues, and movements produced by the rapid technological, political and cultural shifts that characterise these two centuries. Drawing on the expertise of the teaching team, the module introduces cutting-edge research carried out within the department in areas such as romanticism, the Gothic and science fiction, experimental literature, colonial and postcolonial contexts, war studies, and animal studies.

20 credits

Literature and Critical Thought (a)

This course introduces writers, concepts and approaches fundamental to contemporary literary theory, and explores their application to diverse relevant texts. Students will engage in a transhistorical study of the formal, literary and cultural functions of genre (e.g. in the forms of comedy and tragedy). They will also encounter theorists such as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Ferdinand de Saussure, Mikhail Bakhtin, Roland Barthes, Michael Foucault, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan and Jean Baudrillard. Lectures will introduce and explain this material, and seminars will discuss and apply it to the study of literature.

40 credits

Literature and Critical Thought (b)

This course introduces writers, concepts and approaches fundamental to contemporary literary theory, and explores their application to diverse relevant texts. Students will engage in a transhistorical study of the formal, literary and cultural functions of genre (e.g. in the forms of comedy and tragedy). They will also encounter theorists such as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Ferdinand de Saussure, Mikhail Bakhtin, Roland Barthes, Michael Foucault, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan and Jean Baudrillard. Lectures will introduce and explain this material, and seminars will discuss and apply it to the study of literature.

20 credits

Road Journeys in American Culture: 1930-2000

This module analyses the development of road narratives from the 1930s to the present, looking at the ways in which this narrative trope tells the story of American culture and society throughout the twentieth-century. The module aims to address some or all of the following questions. Do road journeys reflect or run away from political realities 'at home'? To what extent is the road journey a gendered space predominantly occupied by men? Are certain groups of people allowed to travel and other groups not? Is the road journey a metaphor for American colonization and expansion, or something else more ambiguous? Texts to be studied include films such as 'The Wizard of Oz', 'Bonnie and Clyde', The Straight Strory', and 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' novels such as 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac, 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov, and 'The Music of Chance' by Paul Auster, and poems by Elizabeth Bishop and Amy Clampitt.

20 credits

John Donne

This module focuses on the work of one of the most charismatic, provocative, and intellectually challenging poets and preachers of the early modern period, John Donne. Ranging across Donne¿s writings, we will consider his erotic and religious poetry, political satires, letters, and sermons. The module will examine the social and literary circles in which Donne¿s work was written and read, with a particular emphasis on contemporary cultures of print and manuscript, and also seek to locate Donne¿s work in the wider context of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century society, exploring, for example, his engagement with court politics, religious controversy, debates about marriage, and the exploration of the New World. The module will conclude with an examination of the critical reception of Donne¿s work and, in particular, the ways in which his biography has been constructed from the seventeenth-century to the present day.

20 credits

Shakespeare on Film

This module deals with issues arising from the transposition of Shakespeare¿s plays to film. It will consider such issues as the relationship between text, staging and the cinematic adaptation. The course will look at, for example, the comparative strengths of films that attempt textual fidelity (Branagh¿s Hamlet) and those that reflect the auteur/director¿s need to `rewright¿ the original (Derek Jarman¿s The Tempest); and analyse the problems, in terms of space, language and otherwise, associated with adapting stage drama for cinematic purposes. In particular, this module will look at some of the most exciting, unconventional and successful adaptations of Shakespearean plays to screen.

20 credits

Literature and Nonsense

This Level 2 module aims to introduce students to literary nonsense published between the eighteenth century and the present day. Challenging the common conception that nonsense literature is a Victorian phenomenon that begins and ends with Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, it will trace both the forebears and the heirs of these two fathers of nonsense in order to propose nonsense as a kind of writing that presents radical formal, philosophical and ideological challenges to literary and critical practice.

20 credits

Literature, Ecology, Capital

Fredric Jameson famously noted that it `seems to be easier for us today to imagine the thoroughgoing deterioration of the earth and of nature than the breakdown of late capitalism¿. This module explores how literature represents the relationships between ecological crisis and the crises of capitalism. We will consider texts concerned with (for example) petroculture, habitat loss, biotechnology, meat and tourism. Chronologically, we will move from the late nineteenth century to the present. Given the global nature of the topic, we will be concerned with a diverse range of national literatures.

20 credits

New Realisms: Contemporary British Cinema

This module will explore the ways in which contemporary British directors working within the broad traditions of British realist cinema have responded to and sought to represent the contemporary period. Students will study films by directors such as Andrea Arnold, Shane Meadows, Andrew Haigh, Clio Barnard, Duane Hopkins, Joanna Hogg, Steve McQueen, and Francis Lee and will consider these works in a range of theoretical, formal, and institutional contexts.

20 credits

European Gothic

What were the historical circumstances which led to the rise of the Gothic in Europe? This course will interrogate the Gothic through this and many other questions which will place emphasis upon its historical and political contexts. We will examine a variety of Gothic texts from 1764 to the present day, and locate and critique them historically through a variety of contemporary reviews and critical essays. Gothic art and architecture will also be examined in relation to the texts with a scheduled slide show, examining work by 'Gothic' artists such as Goya and Piranesi.

20 credits

Representing the Holocaust

This course will examine fictional and non-fictional, literary and filmic, representations of the Holocaust, and considers the use and extension of conventional textual forms to do so, including documentary film, memoir, short story and cartoon. Texts covered will include Elie Wiesel's 'Night', Claude Lanzmann's film 'Shoah', Martin Sherman's 'Bent', Martin Amis's 'Time's Arrow' and Ida Fink's stories in 'A Scrap of Time'.

20 credits

Storying Sheffield

On this innovative and exciting course you will work alongside Sheffield people from less advantaged backgrounds in order to co-produce narratives about their lives in the city, and contribute to a high-quality web-based narrative resource: ¿The Sheffield Story Web¿. In seminars and workshops you will develop skills in using narrative as a method of undertaking research, and will learn about narrative and personal geographies; the study of English and `real-world¿ projects; and representing life-stories using creative means. The course will provide you with opportunities to develop and demonstrate a wide range of transferable skills attractive to future employers.

20 credits

Good Books: Intertextual Approaches to Literature and the Bible

Literature, film and television constantly return to the Bible as a source of narrative, character and image. Biblical texts are translated, rewritten, transposed and radically challenged by literature from the medieval period to the present day and so intertextual readings of the Bible and literature provide insight into the ways authors engage with politics, philosophy, and tradition. Our module explores a range of intertextual relationships, from medieval dream poetry through to contemporary writing and cultural representation, including a range of genres and approaches. We will analyse film, TV and visual media as well as literary forms, to explore the ways in which creative writers interpret and re-imagine biblical narratives and tropes.

20 credits

Satire and Print in the Eighteenth Century

Against a background of political, religious and cultural ferment, new ideas of the individual's relationship to the state emerged in the early-eighteenth century. New kinds of readers, authors, and an increasingly powerful book trade reshaped the literary map of Britain. Those fraught relationships are captured in the prose and poetry of the satirists upon this course. The political, religious and economic satires of writers including Defoe, Pope, Swift, Ramsay, Finch, Gay, Leapor, Montagu, Addison and Steele will be read as a new and troubled relationship between the individual and the state emerged alongside a vigorously contested idea of 'Britain' in literature.

20 credits

The Postcolonial Bildungsroman

This module considers the bildungsroman as a global form that, having emerged in tandem with Western imperialism, remains a vital means of constructing the self and (re)imagining social and political relations in postcolonial literatures. We will focus on the representation of growth, development and community in novels from South Asia, Nigeria, South Africa and the Caribbean, paying attention to features that are, arguably, anti-developmental, including primitivism, animality, violence, illness and disability. We will investigate how `postcolonial' or `global' novels stretch, resist or overhaul, an inherited form and ask how contemporary concerns with race, gender and religious conflict play out for protagonists in whose lives the local and the global meet.

20 credits

Philosophy optional modules:

Ethics: Theoretical and Practical

This course examines Kantianism, utilitarianism and virtue ethics as theoretical accounts of how we ought to live and act toward one another. The theories are evaluated according to how they enable us to understand ourselves, our relations to others, and the ethical problems that face us in daily life; special attention is paid to how the theories illuminate each other through mutual criticism. Questions include: how much does morality require us to sacrifice our time and money for the good of others? When and why is it morally acceptable to lie? Is promiscuous sex wrong? Why be moral after all? Theorists discussed include Aristotle, Kant, Mill, Hare, MacIntyre and Scanlon.

20 credits

Feminism

Feminists have famously claimed that the personal is political, and argued against traditional understandings of the public/private distinction. This module will be devoted to examining a wide variety of areas not tradtionally considered to be of political relevance, which feminists have argued are in fact crucial to politics. We will discuss such issues as family structure, feminie appearance, sexual behaviour, science, culture and language

20 credits

Formal Logic

The course will start by introducing some elementary concepts from set theory; along the way, we will consider some fundamental and philosophically interesting results and forms of argumentation. It will then examine the use of 'trees' as a method for proving the validity of arguments formalised in propositional and first-order logic. It will also show how we may prove a range of fundamental results about the use of trees within those logics, using certain ways of assigning meanings to the sentences of the languages which those logics employ.

20 credits

Metaphysics

The course will focus on metaphysical themes of perennial interest such as parts and wholes, the nature of people, and the passage of time. Readings will be drawn mainly from recent and contemporary sources.

20 credits

Philosophy of Education

This course has two major components: 1) a theoretical exploration of some of the philosophical issues surrounding school education and 2) a practical element focusing on how philosophy can be taught in secondary schools. Students will have the opportunity to plan and deliver lessons to secondary school pupils. The assessment will weigh the two components equally. The teaching of the two components will however vary somewhat. The theoretical exploration will be taught in a similar way to other philosophy modules through a weekly lecture and seminar. Where possible, the lecturer will reference current debates in education to tie the theoretical section of the course to the practical section. A coursework essay will assess this component. The practical element will be taught through workshops, observations at a secondary school and experience of running seminars with Y10 pupils at the University. Whilst the two components are clearly distinct the course is designed so as to integrate them as much as possible.

20 credits

Philosophy of Mind

This module provides a survey of philosophical theories of the mind. One of the reasons why mental phenomena have been particularly interesting to philosophers is that they seem so unlike anything else there is in the world. Unlike gravity, or oxidation, or cell divison, there is something that it is like to think and perceive, and thoughts and experiences have content or are about things outside of the individual having those thoughts. Are experiences and thoughts simply neurological states and processes? If not, what else could they be? We'll look at a variety of answers to these questions and examine the most important and influential theories in recent philosophy of mind, including central-state identity theory, functionalism, and the representational theory of mind.

20 credits

Philosophy of Science

It is virtually impossible to overstate the importance that science has in our everyday life. Here is a brief list of things that would not exist without modern science: computers, phones, internet, cars, airplanes, pharmaceutical drugs, electric guitars. Imagine your life without these things. It looks very different doesn't it? Science, however, is not important only in virtue of its practical applications. in fact, many would agree that the the primary value of science is that of being the best available source of knowledge about the world. Indeed, it seems fair to say that we made more discoveries after the 17th century scientific revolution [e.g. the laws of planetary motion, the principles underlying biological evolution, the laws governing quantum phenomena, the structure of DNA, the cellular architecture of the brain] than in all the previous millenia. This raises important philosophical questions.First, what is science? What are the criteria that demarcate science from non-science? For example, what is the difference between science and religion? Second, how does science work? What are the methods and eplanatory strategies that make it so successful? Is there such a thing as the scientific method, and what counts as a scientific explanation? Third, is science objective? That is, is science a form of rational and unbiased inquiry, or does it reflect ethical, political, and social factors? Finally, is science the fundamental source of knowledge about the world? Does science tell us how things really are? These are some of the questions that we will tackle in this course.

20 credits

Philosophy of the Arts

This module introduces students to a broad range of issues in the philosophy of art. The first half asks 'What is art?'. It examines three approaches: expression theories, institutional accounts, and the cluster account. This is followed by two critiques focusing on the lack of women in the canon and problems surrounding 'primitive' art. The evolutionary approach to art is discussed, and two borderline cases: craft and pornography. The second half examines four issues: cultural appropriation of art, pictorial representation, aesthetic experience and the everyday, and the supposed link between artistic creativity and madness.

20 credits

Plato

The philosopher and mathematician A N Whitehead once characterised western thought as a series of footnotes to Plato. The thought of Plato and his teacher Socrates, who both lived in Greece around 400 years before the start of the Christian era, set the agenda for much subsequent philosophy and did much to define out ideas of what philosophy is. This course will introduce students to the study of the philosophy of Plato through a close and critical study of a small number of his dialogues in English tradition.

20 credits

Political Philosophy

A survey of some of the most important thinkers and issues in political theory. Historical figures discussed will include Plato, Marx, Mill and Rawls. Contemporary theories will include liberalism, utilitarianism, and libertarianism. We will ask: What gives the state it's legitimacy? Is there a single best form of government for all societies? Does justice require that we redistribute resources from rich to poor? How much right does the state have to control our speech and conduct? Should we single out certain groups like women and minorities for special rights?

20 credits

Reference and Truth

This module is an introductory course in the Philosophy of Language. The overall focus of the course will be on the notion of meaning. There are different ways of trying to shed light on this crucial notion. The first part of the course will attempt to shed light on the notion of meaning by investigating different accounts of the meanings of some types of linguistic expressions, in particular names (for instance `Nelson Mandela') and definite descriptions (for instance `the inventor of the zip', `the first minister of Scotland'). We will then look at an influential approach to understanding what it is for words to have meaning and for people to mean things by their words, one due to Paul Grice. And we will examine the role and understanding of conventions and how someone can say something and yet communicate something very different from its conventional meaning. Finally, we will consider the way that the meaning of many/most expressions is vague, asking how to understand and deal with this vagueness and how to answer the associated paradox of the heap.

20 credits

Religion and the Good Life

What, if anything, does religion have to do with a well-lived life? For example, does living well require obeying God¿s commands? Does it require atheism? Are the possibilities for a good life enhanced or only diminished if there is a God, or if Karma is true? Does living well take distinctive virtues like faith, mindfulness, or humility as these have been understood within religious traditions? In this module, we will examine recent philosophical work on questions like these while engaging with a variety of religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Islam, and Judaism

20 credits

Theory of Knowledge

The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to philosophical issues surrounding the knowledge. We will be concerned with the nature and extent of knowledge. How must a believer be related to the world in order to know that something is the case? Can knowledge be analysed in terms of more basic notions? Must our beliefs be structured in a certain way if they are to be knowledge? In considering these questions we will look at various sceptical arguments that suggest that the extent of knowledge is much less than we suppose. And we will look at the our various faculties of knowledge: perception, memory, introspection, and testimony.

20 credits

Philosophy and Revolution

This course will look at the intense philosophical debate that followed the upheaval of the French Revolution. The main texts studied will be Edmund Burke's Reflection on the Revolution in France attacking the Revolution and Thomas Paine's reply defending it, The Rights of Man. Burke and Paine will be the main texts studied. We may also, if time allows, look at the writings of some such others - which might vary from year to year - as William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft, Joseph de Maistre, Benjamin Constant and Germaine de Staël.

20 credits

Linguistics optional modules:

Language and Gender

This module will explore the relationship between language use and gender identity. We will consider how gender has been defined in social and linguistic research and examine a variety of theoretical perspectives, methodologies and findings (incorporating both quantitiative and qualitative linguistic work). The approach is interdisciplinary (drawing upon sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology and discourse analysis) and will address the issues of power, status, socialisation and ideology.

20 credits

Approaches to Discourse

The course aims to introduce students to the critical analysis of spoken and written discourse in contemporary social contexts. It provides a range of resources and techniques for analysing texts and dialogue, enabling students to apply them to real life data drawn from a wide variety of contexts. Instruction will cover classical theoretical approaches to the analysis of discourse and genre, including functional grammatical analysis of clauses and sentences, the generic structure of texts, conversational and pragmatic analysis of spoken discourse, and intertextual and interdiscursive analysis. Throughout the topics covered, the students will be encouraged to reflect upon the role of discourse in the structuring of social practices and power relations.

20 credits

Historical Pragmatics

Historical pragmatics is an exciting and relatively new field which takes a holistic approach (i.e. inclusive of linguistic, social and historical factors) to studying how language users communicated and constructed meaning in earlier periods. Based on the study of English, the aims of this course are: 1) to introduce the study of historical discourse as evidenced by (for example) correspondence and courtroom dialogue; 2) to introduce topics such as sociopragmatics, (im)politeness, and the 'new philology', grounding them in historical pragmatic theory; and 3) to offer an opportunity to perform historical pragmatic analysis through textual study and corpus applications

20 credits

Advanced Syntax

This module builds on the material covered in ELL 221 Syntax, focusing on both the universal and language-specific rules that govern syntactic structure in human language. The topics covered will expand our understanding of areas of structure that could not be explained in Syntax, including further instances of movement, a more nuanced understanding of verbal structure, and a greater emphasis on data from languages other than English.

20 credits

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

An introduction to the theory and practice of English Language Teaching, which will also be useful for students intending to teach languages other than English. The course covers topics in the following areas:- language acquisition; aspects of the psychology of language; approaches to language teaching; methods and materials for language teaching. Sessions tend to be practical and students have opportunities to try out ideas through occasional microteaching sessions in which they teach small groups of their peers.

20 credits

World Englishes

The module gives an introduction to the historical and social development of the English language, leading on to consideration of global spread of English in different parts of the world, including postcolonial contexts and the development of `new' Englishes and creoles. The module provides an analysis of linguistic features (phonology, grammar and lexis) of several varieties of Englishes, and leads on to critically examine issues such as multilingualism, language contact and change, language planning/policy, attitudes towards variation; and globalisation and identity in the classroom. Throughout the module, students are encouraged to draw on their own experiences of linguistic diversity.

20 credits

Theolinguistics

This module examines the ways in which people talk to and about God, both in religious and secular contexts. Among the topics that will be covered are the nature and problem of religious language, religious genres, approaches to investigating religious language, the significance of metaphor in religious language, and the use of religious language in everyday talk. A significant portion of the module will focus on critical theolinguistics, which is the exploration of how religious language is used to assert power and/or control.

20 credits

Second Language Acquisition

This module will introduce students to major theoretical notions and assumptions in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) - a theory that investigates how language speakers acquire a second language both in adulthood and childhood. The module focuses on the SLA theories that are believed to be constrained by Universal Grammar. It provides a historical overview of how SLA theories have evolved and examines influential concepts to explore how different arguments have been developed and how they have been investigated empirically. At the same time, the module offers students hands-on training in analyzing second language learner data, using their knowledge of syntax and the opportunity to design an SLA project.

20 credits

Dialect in Literature and Film

This module will explore the way in which non-standard varieties of English are represented in literature and film, and how these representations have changed over time. We will explore a range of texts and films, investigating both how dialects are represented, and why writers and filmmakers choose to use these dialects in these ways. Authors studied will include Charles Dickens, Angela Carter and James Kelman. Films studied will include Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, Howards End, and The Full Monty. The module will be assessed by a group work project (40%) and an independent research essay (60%).

20 credits

Text-Worlds

This module introduces students to Text World Theory, a cognitive-linguistic model of discourse processing. It provides an opportunity to explore the text-world approach to the analysis of discourse, as well as a range of related ideas and frameworks from the disciplines of linguistics, psychology, philosophy, narratology, and stylistics. We will examine, for example, the influence of context on the production and reception of discourse, the linguistic means through which mental representations of discourse are created, and the ways in which multiple worlds can be constructed across extended stretches of language. Students will be introduced to the core components of Text World Theory and will develop the skills necessary to apply this approach to a range of discourse types in a practical and systematic manner.

20 credits

Psychology of Language

This third-year module in psycholinguistics examines the relationship between the human mind and language, addressing both theoretical and methodological issues. We look at the processes involved in producing and comprehending speech, and in reading, exploring the ways in which we represent and store linguistic knowledge. The core linguistic modules will be investigated (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics), with a focus on phonology. Evidence from speech errors, impaired speech, and neuroscience alongside classic psychological experimental work in the field will be considered. Students will gain a thorough grounding in psycholinguistic theory and practice, and should acquire the tools to undertake their own research in the future.

20 credits

Experiments in Digital Story-Telling

This module focuses on experimental uses of digital technology for story-telling and it offers students opportunities to engage in critical reading of narratives written by others as well as developing experimental narratives of their own. We¿ll look at several different kinds of digital artefacts including texts that have non-linear structures (hypertexts, for example), narratives that take the form of site-specific installations, narrative games, and multimodal texts that combine text and image in interesting ways. Students will also work in a small group on an experimental narrative of their own. (Note that the technical skills needed for this work will be basic and will be taught as part of the course.)

20 credits

Special Subject

This module will explore a different, cutting-edge topic on each run, reflecting the research expertise in the department. It will develop analytical tools in linguistics, appropriate to the topic and level of study. The topic may involve examining current issues in socio-, theoretical, historical, or applied linguistics, or any other area within the department's interests. As topics based on staff research are particularly encouraged, this module provides an excellent opportunity for students to experience explicitly research-led teaching. The analytical tools developed may include rigorously interpreting language data within theoretical frameworks, or evaluating competing influences in accounts of linguistic phenomena.

20 credits

Research Practice

'Research Practice' is normally taken in combination with the 'Dissertation' module, and, together these two units give students the opportunity to spend a whole year researching a topic of particular interest to them, engaging with new data or primary sources, and working on material more advanced than that normally covered in taught modules. 'Research Practice' focuses on the planning of the larger project. Students receive appropriate support and training in workshops and one-to-one sessions with a supervisor. By the end of the module, students have designed an appropriate programme of research and are ready to implement it.

20 credits

Dissertation

The 'Dissertation' module is always taken in combination with the 'Research Practice' module and, together, these two units give students the opportunity to spend a whole year researching a topic of particular interest to them, engaging with new data or primary sources, and working on material more advanced than that normally covered in taught modules. The final results is a dissertation of between 8,000 and 10,000 words. Students receive support and research training throughout the year, attending workshops and one-to-one sessions with a supervisor. In the process, they develop research and communication skills valuable in academic and professional contexts.

20 credits

Philosophy optional modules:

Advanced Logic

This module will build upon PHI203 Formal Logic It will examine some philosophically important areas of formal logic, and it will also consider some philosophical debates concerning foundational aspects of logic. The unit will be assessed by means of a coursework essay on a philosophical topic [worth 50% of the final mark] and an unseen exam [worth the remaining 50% of the final mark]

20 credits

Aristotle

Aristotle (384-322BC) was the most prolific philosopher of the ancient world and one of the most important of any age making hugely important contributions to logic, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of biology, ethics, aesthetics and political philosophy. This module will introduce students to the study of Aristotle through one or more of his many writings. The aim of the module is to encourage students to read important yet difficult Aristotelian texts, to engage critically with the ideas and arguments contained therein and to provide some appreciation of Aristotle's place in the ancient philosophical world and his contribution to contemporary debate.

20 credits

Ancient Chinese Philosophy

This course will introduce students to ancient Chinese Philosophy through a study of some of it classical texts.

20 credits

Feminism

This module introduces students to central issues in feminist philosophy. A key theme running through the module will be the way that issues not traditionally considered to be political turn out to be political when we consider them through a feminist lens. This module will involve much more engagement with applied contemporary issues than most philosophy modules, and students on it will learn how to write essays integrating more theoretical with contemporary factual content.

20 credits

For the Love of Knowledge: Topics in Analytic and Social Epistemology

We know things as individuals, but we also know things collectively. And what we know individually can depend on our relation to other knowers and collective knowledge. These relations are not merely epistemic, they are also practical and ethical. Knowledge can, for instance, be based on trust, while a failure to recognize someone as a knower can be a matter of injustice. Knowledge thereby has a social character and an ethical dimension. This course will introduce a broad range of topics in epistemology that explore this social and ethical turn.

20 credits

Free Will & Religion

This module focuses on philosophical questions about the relationship between free will and religion. Historically, theistic religions have been dogged by questions concerning the nature of human agency, for instance on account of the traditional conception of God as omniscient and hence as having full foreknowledge. The module will examine philosophical conceptions of the relationship between religious states of affairs and positions regarding the status of human action, by considering relevant historical developments within theology and philosophy.

20 credits

Gender and Religion

This module will examine constructions of gender and sexuality in diverse religious traditions from different cultures around the world. The module will apply feminist theory, gender critical perspectives and queer theory in the close reading of religious traditions. The module feature case studies of different religious traditions, including examples of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, in different global contexts, as well as traditions which are less represented in our current religion curriculum, such as Buddhism, and Hinduism, or Chinese and Japanese cultural traditions. The module will examine diverse global traditions, or scriptures themselves, as well as their critical interpretation, contemporary debates on gender, sexuality, and religion, along with representation of religion and gender in contemporary religious discourses, cultures and societies, in different locations. This module may be of interest to students who have previously studied sex, gender, feminism, or LGBT* studies at the University, but introductory readings will be provided if you haven¿t examined such topics before.

20 credits

Global Justice

This module takes up issues of justice across borders. We will begin by considering the implications of several prominent conceptions of the international order (such as realism, cosmopolitanism and nationalism) for the ideal of global justice. We will then consider several topics which highlight the many ways in which both conceptualizing and realizing justice at the global level can be problematic. These will include: the tension between universal human rights and local cultural beliefs and practices, the nature and scope of global distributive justice, the (im)permissibility of humanitarian intervention, the role of global social movements and non-governmental organizations in working for justice and the proper protection and use of our shared natural environment.

20 credits

Hegel and the Phenomenology of Spirit

This course will focus on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), one of the greatest and most influential works of nineteenth century philosophy. We will study the entire text, in an attempt to uncover the nature of Hegel's method, his goals, and the role and significance of the Phenomenology in Hegel's system. As the Phenomenology covers an enormous range, this will lead to a discussion of Hegel's epistemology and metaphysics, of his philosophy of history, ethics and political philosophy, and of his critiques of Kant, Schelling, Rousseau and others.

20 credits

Metaphysics

The course will focus on metaphysical themes of perennial interest such as parts and wholes, the nature of people, and the passage of time. Readings will be drawn mainly from recent and contemporary sources.

20 credits

Moral Theory and Moral Psychology

This course examines the relationship of moral theory and moral psychology. We discuss the relationship of science and ethics, examine the nature of self-interest, altruism, sympathy, the will, and moral intuitions, explore psychological arguments for and against familiar moral theories including utilitarianism, virtue ethics, deontology and relativism, and confront the proposal that understanding the origins of moral thought ¿debunks¿ the authority of ethics. In doing so, we will engage with readings from historical philosophers, including Hobbes, Butler, Hume, Smith, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche and Moore, as well as contemporary authors in philosophy and empirical psychology.

20 credits

Pain, Pleasure, and Emotions

Affective states have a profound bearing on the quality of our lives. Chronic pain can be disabling while insensitivityto pain can be fatal; a life without pleasure looks like a life of boredom, but excessive pleasure seeking can disrupt decision-making. In the last decades, philosophers and cognitive sciences have made fascinating discoveries about pain, pleasure and emotions. In this module, we explore these recent advances. These are some of the problems that we will discuss; why does pain feel bad? Are emotions cognitive states? What is the relation between pleasure and happiness? Are moral judgements based on emotions?

20 credits

Phenomenology

Phenomenology is an influential movement in so-called 'continental philosophy' that began towards the end of the nineteenth century and lasted for almost the next hundred years. This module is an introduction to the thought of three major thinkers that belong to that tradition: Franz Brentano, Edmund Husserl, and Jean-Paul Sartre. Topics that will be covered include subjectivity and the mind, self-consciousness, the body, the phenomenology of perception, intentionality, bad faith, and the Lebenswelt.

20 credits

Philosophical Project 1

A variety of topics will be set. For each topic, a short list of key readings is provided. Having chosen a topic, a short list of key readings is provided. Having chosen a topic, students are expected to master the readings, and the supplement them with at least two other pieces of relevant literature and they have used the available library and web resources to uncover. They then, having agreed a title with a tutor assigned to them for the module, write an extended essay that identifies the central issue (or issues) under discussion, relates the various responses to that issue found in the literature, evaluates those contributions, and goes some way to identifying a satisfactory resolution of the issue.

20 credits

Philosophical Project 2

A variety of topics will be set. For each topic, a short list of key readings is provided. Having chosen a topic, students are expected to master the readings, and to supplement them with at least two other pieces of relevant literature that they have used the available library and web resources to uncover. They then, having agreed a title with the tutor assigned to them for the module, write an extended essay that identifies the central issue (or issues) under discussion, relates the various responses to that issue found in the literature, evaluates those contributions, and goes some way to identifying a satisfactory resolution of the issues.

20 credits

Philosophy of Law

Law is a pervasive feature of modern societies and exerts claim over more or less all areas of our lives. But waht is law? Is it simply a method of social control? Doea law have authority on the basis of which its claims over us are justified? Is there a duty to obey the law? Are there principled limits to the reach of law into e.g. our private lives? How does law relate to individual rights? This course will look at these fundamental questions about the nature and justification of law. It will also look at particular areas of law, such as constitutional, tort or criminal law, and will look at critiques of law.

20 credits

Philosophy and Revolution

This course will look at the intense philosophical debate that followed the upheaval of the French Revolution. The main texts studied will be Edmund Burke's Reflection on the Revolution in France attacking the Revolution and Thomas Paine's reply defending it, The Rights of Man. Burke and Paine will be the main texts studied. We may also, if time allows, look at the writings of some such others - which might vary from year to year - as William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft, Joseph de Maistre, Benjamin Constant and Germaine de Staël.

20 credits

Philosophy of Psychology

This course provides an in-depth look at a selection of issues in contemporary philosophy of psychology. Philosophy pf psychology is concerned with such questions as : What is the structure and organisation of the human mind? Is the mind one big homogenous thing, or is it made up of smaller interacting components? If it has components, what sort are they and how are they interrelated? What aspects of our minds are uniquely, or distinctively human? What is the cognitive basis for such capacities as our capacity for language, rationality, science, mathematics, cultural artefacts, altruism, cooperation, war, morality and art? To what extent are the concepts, rules, biases, and cognitive processes that we possess universal features of all human beings and to what extent are they culturally (or otherwise) variable? Do infants (non-human) animals, and individuals with cognitive deficits have minds, and if so, what are they like? To what extent are these capacities learned as opposed to innately given? How important is evolutionary theory to the study of the mind? What is the Self? What are concepts? Is all thought conceptual? Is all thought conscious? What is consciousness? This course will discuss a selection of these and related issues by looking at the work of philosophers, psychologists, and others working within the cognitive sciences more generally.

20 credits

Plato's Symposium

The Symposium is a vivid, funny and moving dramatic dialogue in which a wide variety of characters - orators, doctor, comic poet, tragic poet, soldier-cum-statesman, philosopher and others - give widely differing accounts of the nature or erotic love (eros) at a banquet. Students should be willing to engage in close textual study, although no previous knowledge of either ancient philosophy or ancient Greek is required. We will be exploring the origins, definition, aims, objects and effects or eros, and asking whether it is viewed as a predominantly beneficial or harmful force. Are some manifestations or eros better than others? Is re-channelling either possible or desirable, and if so, how and in what contexts? What happens to eros if it is consummated? We will in addition explore the issues that the dialogue raises about relations between philosophy and literature, and the influence it has had on Western thought (e.g. Freud). The edition we will use is Rowe, C . J., 1998, Plato Symposium. Oxford: Aris and Phillips Classical texts.

20 credits

The Political Philosophy of Climate Change

Why is climate change a problem of global justice and how could the international community address this problem fairly? In this course we will look at various questions of justice that climate change raises and examine how political philosophers have attempted to answer them. Topics to be considered may include: historical responsibility for climate change, duties regarding future generations, the problem of allocating the burdens of addressing climate change, natural resource justice, the rights of indigenous peoples, moral issues concerning territorial loss or displacement, and the politics of geoengineering the planet.

20 credits

The Radical Demand in Logstrup's Ethics

The biblical commandment 'to love your neighbour as yourself' still has great resonance with people, as does the story of the Good Samaritan who helps the injured traveller he encounters on the road. But what exactly does this love require, and what it its basis? Do we have an obligation to care for others, or is it beyond the call of duty? How can love be a matter of obligation at all? If you help the neighbour, can you demand something in return? Should we help them by giving them what they want, or instead what they need? How far do our obligations to others extend - who is the 'neighbour', and might it include 'the enemy' ? And does the requirement to help the other come from God's command, or from some sort of practical inconisistency given we all need help ourselves, or from their right to be helped - or simply from the fact they are in need? But can our needs be enough on their own to generate obligations of this sort?We will consider these sorts of questions in relation to the work of K.E. Logstrup [1905-1981], a Danish philosopher and theologian, who discussed them in his key work The Ethical Demand [1956] in which he characterized this relation between individuals as involving a 'radical demand' for care, involving important commitments about the nature of life, value, and human interdependency. We will compare his ideas to related themes in Kant, Kierkegaard, Levinas, and contemporary care ethics.

20 credits

Sources of Normativity

The module will present some fundamental debates in meta-ethics concerning the foundations of norms, obligations and reasons. We will read parts of Korsgaard's book 'The Sources of Normativity' and more recent literature grappling with the question Korsgaard has raised. We will try to understand what it means to ground a norm, whether norms must be grounded, what could possibly ground them and whether the grounding process has a terminus point.

20 credits