PHIL30990 The Medieval Mind

Academic Year 2023/2024

Why study the philosophical (and often theological) thought of the Middle Ages? The answer is much more difficult than it seems, not only because it has to address pejorative preconceived views, but also because the historiographical notion of "Middle Ages" has no meaning in other regions of the world than in the Latin West. Moreover, studying the thought of past centuries raises questions about the place of contemporary philosophy, and the necessity to revise the canons of history of philosophy in order to adopt an inclusive and comparative approach. What was philosophy before Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz? And was it different from theology and litterature? The aim of the course is to show that the study of unduly ignored authors is not only important for understanding the conceptual (successful) innovations of thinking in general, but also essential for grasping the differences between these innovations in respect to their diverse background (paganism, Eastern and Western Christianity, Islam and Judaism).

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

ASSIMILATE concepts from various cultures and traditions

CRITICALLY ENGAGE with themes that have shaped seminal philosophical and theological views

DISCOVER the unexpected diversity and depth of philosophical topics from past centuries

READ fundamental, yet unduly ignored texts

WRITE well-structured essays

Indicative Module Content:

The module aims to introduce students to key-concepts and major texts, such as: primary and secondary causality, unicity of the intellect, universals, felicity and politics.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Tutorial

8
Autonomous Student Learning

93
Total

125
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Reading: an essential component of this module is *reading* and interpreting philosophical texts. Explaining and understanding seminal works is a necessary step to assimilate concepts and stimulate a solid and creative, personal thinking. Students will have to read between 2 to 5 pages every week.

Group projects: students learn when discussing and even contradicting one another. Collaborative work is also an effective way to negotiate or accommodate different opinions. Small groups will be encouraged to discuss in class various problems on the themes analyzed.

Essays: writing remains the most relevant way to structure personal thoughts and also how to engage with primary and secondary bibliographies.

Also:
* at least four hours of class and tutorial will be devoted entirely to preparing the essays, so that students can give their all and do their best to achieve good marks

* tutorials will be devoted to an in-depth study of the texts (a few short fragments), and will focus on students' questions about these texts

* attendance and active participation in courses and tutorials are not compulsory, but they are an aspect that can be taken into account for the final grades 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: A short essay (1500 and 2000 words) on one of the topics discussed in class OR in relation with the texts discussed: students are encouraged to formulate their own questions and research topics. Week 12 n/a Graded No

50
Assignment: A short commentary (up to 1,5000 words) on a short text discussed in class. The text is given at the end of the class in week 6; students they have 72 hours to submit their commentary. Week 6 n/a Graded No

50

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

One-on-one meetings with registered students in weeks 3, 5 and 8 in order to identify problems of comprehension and enhance written / oral skills for the group project. Individual feedback in tutorials related to the group project in advance of the discussion / essay. Individual or group feedback on essay within two two weeks of assignment.

The detailed playlist (with explanations) will be provided during the first lesson. It will then be posted on Brightspace. The authors studied include the Irishman John Scotus Eriugena (one of the most original authors in the history of philosophy), and figures as diverse as Avicenna, Thomas Aquinas, and Maimonide.

For an initial familiarisation with the themes and authors, we suggest:

General introductions:
John Marenbon, Medieval Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, OUP, 2016.
Peter Adamson, Philosophy in the Islamic World: A Very Short Introduction, OUP, 2015.
Name Role
Mr Keith Feenan Tutor
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Spring
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Mon 09:00 - 10:50
Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31 Mon 11:00 - 11:50
Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Wed 09:00 - 09:50
Spring