Music and Philosophy BA

Optional music modules:

History of Western Music

This module considers key moments in the history of Western music from the 1500s to the present day. Taking individual composers and works, it aims to introduce students to different approaches to the study of music history, the development of particular musical genres, and the impact of cultural, historical and geographical context on composers. In addition, the module will consider ways of writing about music, and the use of primary and secondary sources for informing critical discussions of the subject.

20 credits

Music of the World

As a foundation for more specialised studies in particular forms of music, the module introduces students to music as a phenomenon common to all humanity, and cultivates an awareness of the many different things that music can be and the many different ways in which people use and understand music. Lectures introduce a range of music cultures from around the world, emphasising how particular ways of making and structuring musical sound are suited to particular purposes and performance contexts. Student work includes a small midterm written assignment, a final transcription and analysis assignment and two online quizzes with listening examples.

20 credits

The Materials of Music

This module addresses the core skills of listening to music accurately and critically; writing melody, harmony and counterpoint with understanding; and musical leadership skills. The module will also deal with musical nomenclature and terminology, and stylistic and formal elements of music. These will be taught against the broad musical context of the Department and in order to prepare students for concurrent and future modules.

10 credits

Harmony and Counterpoint

This module addresses the core skills of listening to and writing harmony and counterpoint accurately and critically. The module will also deal with musical nomenclature and terminology, and stylistic and formal elements of music. These will be taught against the musical context of the eighteenth century, and will serve to prepare students for compositional and analytical tasks in concurrent and future modules. It is linked with MUS133 - Materials of Music and will build on topics introduced in the first module.

10 credits

Technologies for Music

This module introduces students to a range of pertinent music technologies, focusing upon four key areas: sound recording, editing, transformation and representation. In each case, students experience some of the many ways in which specific technologies serve the many different music disciplines. They go on to learn the essential principals of those technologies, before learning how they work in practice.

10 credits

Composition

Through a preliminary analysis of examples drawn from mainstream and contemporary musical literature students will be introduced to strategies for generating and shaping musical materials. In addition there will be some exploration of the technical and practical capabilities of musical instruments. Students will be required to produce coherently structured small-scale pieces which can be performed by members of the group.

20 credits

Performance

The course aims to develop the musical and intellectual abilities appropriate to solo performance. The theoretical background is considered, focusing on the aural and analytical skills essential to performance at an advanced level. Issues of style and interpretation as well as effective preparation and communication are addressed. Consideration is given to the varying demands of concert and studio work and performing with confidence. Attendance at a number of University concerts will be required.

20 credits

Folk Music Participation

This module is based upon participation in and preparation for folk sessions hosted by the Department of Music. Through intensive preparation of challenging repertoire, as well as the skills to enable improvised participation, students will develop their understanding of the demands and pleasures of session practice, and their knowledge of the repertoires concerned (British folk traditions), and be encouraged to reflect upon the roles and responsibilities of individual participants within the group. They will also be required to attend a professional ensemble concert or concerts within the university concert series.Module delivered through directed sessions on site; other sessions in venues around the city to be selected by the student.

10 credits

Composing Electronic Music

This module aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to compose various forms of electronic music. It introduces students to some of key figures within the field, surveys some of numerous musical genres and traditions that feed into this diverse form of artistic practice, and surveys a number of technologies and techniques typically used in the creation of electronic music. Students will learn how to process and develop a range of recorded and synthetic sound materials, before considering some of the various ways in which those materials may be used to compose electronic pieces.

10 credits

Popular Music Studies

This module provides an introduction to the study of popular music. The changing definitions of 'popular music' are explored in relation to their socio-cultural context, and major issues and debates in popular music studies are investigated. Classes involve lectures, group discussions and in-class tasks. Assessments include a 1500 word essay choosing a piece of popular music, examining its significant features and discussing what, and how, it communicates to the listener. Additionally a student will give a 15 minute group presentation drawing on the major themes of the module to analyse an artist or album.

10 credits

Music Psychology

This module aims to give musicians an awareness of the characteristics of scientific explanations and the problems and benefits of approaching music from a scientific perspective. It explores scientific approaches to music through selected topics in music psychology, such as psychoacoustics and music perception, music's evolutionary origins, and considers the benefits and value of music making and listening. Teaching and learning takes the form of lectures, demonstrations, collaborative learning, group-working in written and spoken forms.

10 credits

Ensemble Participation

This module is based upon participation in and preparation for rehearsals and performances of the ensembles hosted by the Department of Music: the University of Sheffield Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra and Chamber Choir. Through intensive preparation of challenging repertoire, students will develop their understanding of the demands and pleasures of large ensemble performance and their knowledge of the repertoire concerned, and be encouraged to reflect upon the roles and responsibilities of individual performers within the group. They will also be required to attend a professional ensemble concert or concerts within the university concert series.

10 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

Optional music modules - annual:

Intermediate Performance

This module will introduce students to issues and techniques related to performance at an intermediate level. It will act as preparation for advanced performance at Level 3 and builds on the foundation work completed as part of Level 1 performance (MUS110).Students registered for the module will take individual instrumental/vocal lessons, which will run alongside lectures throughout the academic year.The module will be a pre-requisite for MUS334 (Level 3 Extended Recital).

20 credits

Intermediate Composition

Students will be guided in the development of an individual composition practice. Emphasis will be on crafting pieces of extended duration and writing skilfully for instrumental and vocal ensembles. Opportunities to compose collaboratively, write for visiting performers, and participate in concerts will be taken. Students will be encouraged to set up independent opportunities for hearing their work played. Some formative analytical work will be set and students will explore relevant repertoire through listening, score study and attendance at concerts. Scores will be produced to a professional standard.

20 credits

Musicology

This module introduces the discipline of musicology, outlining its nature, scope and history, and developing research skills and methodologies in three core areas: 1. music analysis; 2. archival research and editorial techniques (i.e. dealing with historical documents relating to music); and 3. `critical musicology', engaging with recent and contemporary debates in the discipline. The module offers a valuable foundation for other modules within the musicology pathway, and also for L3 dissertations addressing musicological topics.

20 credits

Psychology of Music: methods and applications

This module lays the foundation for students to be able to research a music psychological topic using psychological research methods and consider its relevance for musical life and the music profession. The module focusses on developing skills in psychological research approaches, through teaching that is problem-based, meaning that students work on research design and data collection methods to tackle an issue or problem that may be encountered in musical contexts. A combination of methods is considered including qualitative and quantitative data collection, reflection, observation and literature research. Included problems may relate to musical development, psychology of performance, and music engagement.

20 credits

Music Promotions

This practical module, running across two semesters, provides an introduction to key concepts and methods essential to effective music promotion. Students work in groups to plan and implement a promotion strategy for an event or music product release, applying theoretical principles of music promotion into practice. Supported through weekly lectures and seminars students will:Develop a deeper understanding of the operational elements of a music promotions project.Analyse strategic (including commercial) considerations involved in selecting music for promotion.Identify and apply financial and legal best practice in music promotion.Develop and implement strategies and techniques for publicising and marketing of music through traditional and digital media.Learn how to work more effectively in groups in the context of music promotion.Communicate effectively with external music industry professionals.Use techniques to reflect on their own practice and evaluate their group's effectiveness.

20 credits

Creative Applications of Music Technology

Creative Applications of Music Technology focuses upon the creative use of computers to produce sonic art and provides an opportunity for students to realise their own compositions, from initial source recordings, transformation and mixing through to the production of a work. The module creates an interesting synergy between art and science by allowing students to reflect upon basic science behind the processes involved and their implementation within an artistic discourse.

20 credits

Ethnomusicology

The module provides an introduction to ethnomusicology, the study of any music in relation to the culture and values of its users. Emphasis is placed on learning ethnomusicological theory and method, with knowledge of particular musical traditions used as case studies to apply these to. As far as possible, students ¿learn by doing¿, gaining direct experience in using ethnomusicological methods such as participant observation, ethnographic interviewing, documenting and recording musical events, and musical transcription and analysis. Assessment is through a sustained individual fieldwork project, with submissions comprising a proposal and ethics application, folio of fieldwork materials, and reflective essay.

20 credits

Optional music modules - rotational:

Practical Musicianship

This module will introduce students to skills and techniques related to practical musicianship. By learning skills such as ensemble direction, improvisation, sight reading, reading in different clefs, transposition at sight and realising a graphic score, students will learn how to become more flexible as performers.

20 credits

Ensemble Performance Skills

This module will enable students with appropriate instrumental or vocal skills to develop ensemble playing, and will present students with the opportunity to interact with other musicians in a supervised situation. Ensembles will be formed according to available student resources, and an appropriate wide-ranging repertoire chosen for study. Particular attention will be paid to ensemble considerations, though technical matters and the development of stylistic awareness will also form an important part of the course.

20 credits

Orchestral Technique

The course aims to acquaint students with the principal orchestral techniques used by composers from the Classical period to the present, with the historical and stylistic context of those techniques, with the capabilities and limitations of individual orchestral instruments, and with their effect in combination. To promote judgement, facility and notational clarity in orchestration, by means of worked exercises. Passages from orchestral works are studied in detail using score and pre-recorded extracts. Characteristics of the principal orchestral instruments are studied, with explanatory demonstrations by student or staff specialists wherever possible.

20 credits

Sound and Moving Image

This module will give students the opportunity to create sound to picture and familiarise themselves with a variety of software. Students will be responsible for the entire project from the ideas stage through the creation of all audio materials. A range of existing movies, visual musical works and relevant literary texts will be studied; students are expected to use these to inform their own work and will be encouraged to explore the audiovisual medium in as many different forms as possible.

20 credits

Music in Renaissance Europe

This module will offer an accessible introduction to the sounds, styles and contexts of music in Europe from about 1400 to about 1600. The period encompasses some of the most beautiful vocal music ever written, and some startling innovations in musical style and compositional technique, much of it bankrolled by dastardly Machiavellian princes with dubious political motives. The Renaissance also encompasses seismic technological shifts (e.g. the invention of printing) and ideological battles (e.g. the Reformation) with profound consequences for European musical culture. No previous knowledge of Renaissance music required.

20 credits

Baroque Music

This module will give students the opportunity to research vocal and instrumental music dating from ca.1600 to ca.1750, covering context, analysis, editorial techniques, and performance practice. No previous experience of early music is required.

20 credits

Mozart in Vienna, 1781-1791

This course examines Mozart's career as performer and composer in Vienna (1781-91), looking at the environments and circumstances in which he worked and the aesthetic contexts in which he thrived. Topics will include: the circumstances that led Mozart to move from Salzburg to Vienna in 1781; his career as a performer; aesthetic, historical and contextual issues in 1780s Vienna; Mozart's instrumental, operatic and sacred works composed in Vienna; Mozart's status as a musical-cultural icon in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

20 credits

The Broadway Musical

The Broadway musical is often seen as one of America's most original and lasting contributions to music and theatre. This module will examine the development of the musical from Kern's Show Boat to the present day. The course will look at musicals by the Gershwins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kander & Ebb and more recent shows by creative teams such as Lopez & Marx (Avenue Q). As well as considering the subject matter, lyrics and music of Broadway musicals, the course will also explore the nature of the collaborative process between composer, lyricist, choreographer and book writer.

20 credits

Music and Wellbeing

This course will provide students with knowledge of how music interventions are designed and actioned in order to support health and wellbeing challenges. The module will cover four health-related topics; topics will vary in order to reflect the latest research and areas of public interest. Examples of possible topics include dementia, Parkinson¿s disease, aphasia, and autism spectrum. Teaching sessions will feature input from music therapists as well as community care projects. Students will conduct short reflective assignments to consider whether/ how music helps wellbeing outcomes, and will have the opportunity to develop a proposal for their own music-based wellbeing intervention.

20 credits

Music Psychology in Everyday Life

The aim of the course is to introduce students to theories, empirical investigations and applications of music psychology relevant to everyday life. As part of the course, students will look into diverse uses of music in different everyday situations including commercial settings, therapeutic and clinical settings and at home, the reasons for the use of music in these situations and possible explanations of music's ability to support social, emotional and therapeutic functions. The course will be delivered through lectures, group discussions, and small research projects.

20 credits

Music Placements

The module provides an opportunity for students to examine in depth a working environment of interest to them and to undertake work-related learning in a professional music setting. Students will negotiate their own placement with the support of tutors and will also have access to a directory of local and national organisations that they could approach. Through seminar sessions, students will be supported in preparing for their placement and for module assessments. Through experience of a work environment, students will develop specialist knowledge, reflective skills and a critical awareness of primary research methods.

20 credits

Community, Music and Education

This module provides a theoretical and practical introduction to music in education and community settings, and aims to give students an awareness of musical learning in its broadest sense, from the formal classroom setting and instrumental studio to the work done by community support groups and in health care units, to more recreational musical practice in the community. The module will consider the nature of teaching and learning in music, the benefits and challenges of musical participation, and the range of contexts in which music creates and defines communities and identities. Questions of music's place in the curriculum, the relationship between school and home music, and the challenges of providing a vibrant musical education for all people, will be addressed in lectures and discussions. Students will work in mentored groups to investigate and support community music-making or school-based music education in Sheffield, and will be guided in auditing their own skills and employability as deliverers or managers of community music and/or music education. Although the course is by no means a complete training for teaching or community arts work, it will seek to extend students' knowledge and awareness of music and its contribution to education and society, through critical reflection on published research evidence, and through school and community fieldwork visits.

20 credits

Sound Recording Practice

Sound Recording Practice examines the fundamental theories of recording. It focuses upon the recording of classical and popular music and provides an opportunity for students to realise their own recordings, overseeing production from an initial planning stage through to the semi-commercial production of Compact Disc. The module also examines the practice of field recordings, location recording and session based recordings, taking into account session management, editing, engineering and directing. The course looks at the science of microphones, mixers, and computer based editors and compares students' practice based examples with the examples from the commercial sector.

20 credits

Traditional Music in the Modern World

The module provides an introduction to the study of folk and traditional music, focussing on contemporary folk music cultures of Eurpoe, the British Isles and America. A range of approaches (ethnomusicology; critical and culture theory; political theory) are used to consider the traditional identities these music cultures construct, and how they relate to their modern, economic, political and technological contexts. Past and current definitions of the terms folk music and traditional music are explored, and music cultures are investigated in terms of specific debates and contexts, such as revivalism, nationalism, institutionalisation, competition and education.

20 credits

Topics in Popular Music

This module explores in depth, a range of models, case studies and themes for the study of Popular Music. Students are introduced to varying analytical and critical approaches to the study of popular musics in global perspective, with topics including (e.g.): how popular musicians learn; popular music and humour; popular music as world music; reading popular music `texts'; understanding business models; and conducting a popular music ethnography. As well as developing a factual knowledge of the genres covered in the module, students will develop a critical awareness of research methods and discursive themes in the field of popular music studies.

20 credits

World Music Performance

On this unit students acquire a practice-based understanding of one world music tradition (selected in advance by the course tutor), improving their musical performance skills and experiencing first-hand the modes of transmission that are part of the tradition. Through performance-based seminars, they learn to play and/or sing in the style offered, backing up that experience with theoretical knowledge derived from ethnomusicological literature. Their learning is also supported by a writing-based project, supported by seminars/tutorials as appropriate, which results in a learning journal, documenting and reflecting on the learning experience.

20 credits

Optional philosophy 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

Final Year Projects music modules:

Prepared Instrumental or Vocal Recital

To enable students with advanced practical skills to demonstrate the ability to communicate meaning in music by public performance of a professional standard. The performance should contain works of a contrasting nature, from different historical periods, and will be given in public. Matters concerning the submission of the programme and the choice of accompanists are discussed with tutors.

20 credits

Composition Portfolio

Creative Portfolio invites the candidate to collate a diverse body of work, including a number of small and medium-scale projects and two large-scale projects. The total duration should be around 25 - 40 minutes of music/sound, although this will vary depending upon the nature of the project. Total number of projects should not exceed 5. Projects may include musical compositions, works of sonic art, audio-visual pieces, sound installations, web based media/events, live-electronic performances, interactive media, amongst related uses of creative media. The portfolio will be accompanied by a 2,000 word commentary.

60 credits

Dissertation

To give students the opportunity to undertake the intensive study of a particular aspect of musical sound/material, behaviour or thinking, from the past or present; to demonstrate their ability to produce a substantial piece of scholarly written work; to enable them to consolidate and develop research techniques and critical skills; and to develop skills in writing and presentation. The dissertation need not involve original research but can be a conflation of existing knowledge. Dissertation topics should enable candidates to demonstrate the ability to place music in its historical and cultural context, and to support their arguments with informative comments based on detailed analysis. The length of the dissertation should be approximately 7,500 words.

20 credits

Special Project

This module allows students to negotiate a special project that does not conform to Dissertation, Performance and Composition, with topic agreed with tutors on a case-by-case basis and presentation and assessment criteria derived from the Department's existing criteria for written and creative work. It affords an opportunity for students to work with others outside of their discipline and to communicate their work to non-specialist audiences where appropriate. The student is asked to reflect upon their development as a scholar within an artistic discipline by developing novel work in one of the department's `pathways', and by so doing, enable the creation of a more specific profile in preparation for employment or further study. The module may include a placement activity.

20 credits

Optional music modules - annual:

Intermediate Performance

This module will introduce students to issues and techniques related to performance at an intermediate level. It will act as preparation for advanced performance at Level 3 and builds on the foundation work completed as part of Level 1 performance (MUS110).Students registered for the module will take individual instrumental/vocal lessons, which will run alongside lectures throughout the academic year.The module will be a pre-requisite for MUS334 (Level 3 Extended Recital).

20 credits

Intermediate Composition

Students will be guided in the development of an individual composition practice. Emphasis will be on crafting pieces of extended duration and writing skilfully for instrumental and vocal ensembles. Opportunities to compose collaboratively, write for visiting performers, and participate in concerts will be taken. Students will be encouraged to set up independent opportunities for hearing their work played. Some formative analytical work will be set and students will explore relevant repertoire through listening, score study and attendance at concerts. Scores will be produced to a professional standard.

20 credits

Musicology

This module introduces the discipline of musicology, outlining its nature, scope and history, and developing research skills and methodologies in three core areas: 1. music analysis; 2. archival research and editorial techniques (i.e. dealing with historical documents relating to music); and 3. `critical musicology', engaging with recent and contemporary debates in the discipline. The module offers a valuable foundation for other modules within the musicology pathway, and also for L3 dissertations addressing musicological topics.

20 credits

Psychology of Music: methods and applications

This module lays the foundation for students to be able to research a music psychological topic using psychological research methods and consider its relevance for musical life and the music profession. The module focusses on developing skills in psychological research approaches, through teaching that is problem-based, meaning that students work on research design and data collection methods to tackle an issue or problem that may be encountered in musical contexts. A combination of methods is considered including qualitative and quantitative data collection, reflection, observation and literature research. Included problems may relate to musical development, psychology of performance, and music engagement.

20 credits

Music Promotions

This practical module, running across two semesters, provides an introduction to key concepts and methods essential to effective music promotion. Students work in groups to plan and implement a promotion strategy for an event or music product release, applying theoretical principles of music promotion into practice. Supported through weekly lectures and seminars students will:Develop a deeper understanding of the operational elements of a music promotions project.Analyse strategic (including commercial) considerations involved in selecting music for promotion.Identify and apply financial and legal best practice in music promotion.Develop and implement strategies and techniques for publicising and marketing of music through traditional and digital media.Learn how to work more effectively in groups in the context of music promotion.Communicate effectively with external music industry professionals.Use techniques to reflect on their own practice and evaluate their group's effectiveness.

20 credits

Creative Applications of Music Technology

Creative Applications of Music Technology focuses upon the creative use of computers to produce sonic art and provides an opportunity for students to realise their own compositions, from initial source recordings, transformation and mixing through to the production of a work. The module creates an interesting synergy between art and science by allowing students to reflect upon basic science behind the processes involved and their implementation within an artistic discourse.

20 credits

Ethnomusicology

The module provides an introduction to ethnomusicology, the study of any music in relation to the culture and values of its users. Emphasis is placed on learning ethnomusicological theory and method, with knowledge of particular musical traditions used as case studies to apply these to. As far as possible, students ¿learn by doing¿, gaining direct experience in using ethnomusicological methods such as participant observation, ethnographic interviewing, documenting and recording musical events, and musical transcription and analysis. Assessment is through a sustained individual fieldwork project, with submissions comprising a proposal and ethics application, folio of fieldwork materials, and reflective essay.

20 credits

Optional music modules - rotational:

Practical Musicianship

This module will introduce students to skills and techniques related to practical musicianship. By learning skills such as ensemble direction, improvisation, sight reading, reading in different clefs, transposition at sight and realising a graphic score, students will learn how to become more flexible as performers.

20 credits

Ensemble Performance Skills

This module will enable students with appropriate instrumental or vocal skills to develop ensemble playing, and will present students with the opportunity to interact with other musicians in a supervised situation. Ensembles will be formed according to available student resources, and an appropriate wide-ranging repertoire chosen for study. Particular attention will be paid to ensemble considerations, though technical matters and the development of stylistic awareness will also form an important part of the course.

20 credits

Orchestral Technique

The course aims to acquaint students with the principal orchestral techniques used by composers from the Classical period to the present, with the historical and stylistic context of those techniques, with the capabilities and limitations of individual orchestral instruments, and with their effect in combination. To promote judgement, facility and notational clarity in orchestration, by means of worked exercises. Passages from orchestral works are studied in detail using score and pre-recorded extracts. Characteristics of the principal orchestral instruments are studied, with explanatory demonstrations by student or staff specialists wherever possible.

20 credits

Sound and Moving Image

This module will give students the opportunity to create sound to picture and familiarise themselves with a variety of software. Students will be responsible for the entire project from the ideas stage through the creation of all audio materials. A range of existing movies, visual musical works and relevant literary texts will be studied; students are expected to use these to inform their own work and will be encouraged to explore the audiovisual medium in as many different forms as possible.

20 credits

Music in Renaissance Europe

This module will offer an accessible introduction to the sounds, styles and contexts of music in Europe from about 1400 to about 1600. The period encompasses some of the most beautiful vocal music ever written, and some startling innovations in musical style and compositional technique, much of it bankrolled by dastardly Machiavellian princes with dubious political motives. The Renaissance also encompasses seismic technological shifts (e.g. the invention of printing) and ideological battles (e.g. the Reformation) with profound consequences for European musical culture. No previous knowledge of Renaissance music required.

20 credits

Baroque Music

This module will give students the opportunity to research vocal and instrumental music dating from ca.1600 to ca.1750, covering context, analysis, editorial techniques, and performance practice. No previous experience of early music is required.

20 credits

Mozart in Vienna, 1781-1791

This course examines Mozart's career as performer and composer in Vienna (1781-91), looking at the environments and circumstances in which he worked and the aesthetic contexts in which he thrived. Topics will include: the circumstances that led Mozart to move from Salzburg to Vienna in 1781; his career as a performer; aesthetic, historical and contextual issues in 1780s Vienna; Mozart's instrumental, operatic and sacred works composed in Vienna; Mozart's status as a musical-cultural icon in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

20 credits

The Broadway Musical

The Broadway musical is often seen as one of America's most original and lasting contributions to music and theatre. This module will examine the development of the musical from Kern's Show Boat to the present day. The course will look at musicals by the Gershwins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kander & Ebb and more recent shows by creative teams such as Lopez & Marx (Avenue Q). As well as considering the subject matter, lyrics and music of Broadway musicals, the course will also explore the nature of the collaborative process between composer, lyricist, choreographer and book writer.

20 credits

Music and Wellbeing

This course will provide students with knowledge of how music interventions are designed and actioned in order to support health and wellbeing challenges. The module will cover four health-related topics; topics will vary in order to reflect the latest research and areas of public interest. Examples of possible topics include dementia, Parkinson¿s disease, aphasia, and autism spectrum. Teaching sessions will feature input from music therapists as well as community care projects. Students will conduct short reflective assignments to consider whether/ how music helps wellbeing outcomes, and will have the opportunity to develop a proposal for their own music-based wellbeing intervention.

20 credits

Music Psychology in Everyday Life

The aim of the course is to introduce students to theories, empirical investigations and applications of music psychology relevant to everyday life. As part of the course, students will look into diverse uses of music in different everyday situations including commercial settings, therapeutic and clinical settings and at home, the reasons for the use of music in these situations and possible explanations of music's ability to support social, emotional and therapeutic functions. The course will be delivered through lectures, group discussions, and small research projects.

20 credits

Music Placements

The module provides an opportunity for students to examine in depth a working environment of interest to them and to undertake work-related learning in a professional music setting. Students will negotiate their own placement with the support of tutors and will also have access to a directory of local and national organisations that they could approach. Through seminar sessions, students will be supported in preparing for their placement and for module assessments. Through experience of a work environment, students will develop specialist knowledge, reflective skills and a critical awareness of primary research methods.

20 credits

Community, Music and Education

This module provides a theoretical and practical introduction to music in education and community settings, and aims to give students an awareness of musical learning in its broadest sense, from the formal classroom setting and instrumental studio to the work done by community support groups and in health care units, to more recreational musical practice in the community. The module will consider the nature of teaching and learning in music, the benefits and challenges of musical participation, and the range of contexts in which music creates and defines communities and identities. Questions of music's place in the curriculum, the relationship between school and home music, and the challenges of providing a vibrant musical education for all people, will be addressed in lectures and discussions. Students will work in mentored groups to investigate and support community music-making or school-based music education in Sheffield, and will be guided in auditing their own skills and employability as deliverers or managers of community music and/or music education. Although the course is by no means a complete training for teaching or community arts work, it will seek to extend students' knowledge and awareness of music and its contribution to education and society, through critical reflection on published research evidence, and through school and community fieldwork visits.

20 credits

Sound Recording Practice

Sound Recording Practice examines the fundamental theories of recording. It focuses upon the recording of classical and popular music and provides an opportunity for students to realise their own recordings, overseeing production from an initial planning stage through to the semi-commercial production of Compact Disc. The module also examines the practice of field recordings, location recording and session based recordings, taking into account session management, editing, engineering and directing. The course looks at the science of microphones, mixers, and computer based editors and compares students' practice based examples with the examples from the commercial sector.

20 credits

Traditional Music in the Modern World

The module provides an introduction to the study of folk and traditional music, focussing on contemporary folk music cultures of Eurpoe, the British Isles and America. A range of approaches (ethnomusicology; critical and culture theory; political theory) are used to consider the traditional identities these music cultures construct, and how they relate to their modern, economic, political and technological contexts. Past and current definitions of the terms folk music and traditional music are explored, and music cultures are investigated in terms of specific debates and contexts, such as revivalism, nationalism, institutionalisation, competition and education.

20 credits

Topics in Popular Music

This module explores in depth, a range of models, case studies and themes for the study of Popular Music. Students are introduced to varying analytical and critical approaches to the study of popular musics in global perspective, with topics including (e.g.): how popular musicians learn; popular music and humour; popular music as world music; reading popular music `texts'; understanding business models; and conducting a popular music ethnography. As well as developing a factual knowledge of the genres covered in the module, students will develop a critical awareness of research methods and discursive themes in the field of popular music studies.

20 credits

World Music Performance

On this unit students acquire a practice-based understanding of one world music tradition (selected in advance by the course tutor), improving their musical performance skills and experiencing first-hand the modes of transmission that are part of the tradition. Through performance-based seminars, they learn to play and/or sing in the style offered, backing up that experience with theoretical knowledge derived from ethnomusicological literature. Their learning is also supported by a writing-based project, supported by seminars/tutorials as appropriate, which results in a learning journal, documenting and reflecting on the learning experience.

20 credits

Optional philosophy 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