PHIL41660

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete this module should be able to
• REFLECT critically upon early modern philosophy and influential 17th and 18th century approaches to moral agency and related issues in ethics, social philosophy, moral psychology, philosophy of mind, and metaphysics.
• IDENTIFY and analyse philosophical arguments in historical texts.
• INTERPRET philosophical texts that were written in the 17th and 18th century, show awareness of different possible interpretations and learn to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different interpretations
• WRITE well-structured and well-argued research essays that explain and critically assess philosophical views and critically position your interpretation in relation to other interpretations in the literature
• ARTICULATE your own response to philosophical views, support them by reasons, and defend them in light of criticism

Indicative Module Content:

This seminar focuses on seventeenth and eighteenth-century philosophical debates concerning moral agency. We will discuss selected texts by John Locke, Mary Astell, Damaris Masham, Adam Smith, Sophie de Grouchy, Thomas Reid, and their contemporaries. Through a close study of their writings we will examine issues concerning agency that continue to be relevant in philosophical debates in ethics, social philosophy, moral psychology, philosophy of mind, and metaphysics.

Student Effort Hours:

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

This module is an interactive discussion focused seminar. The module coordinator will prepare handouts that contain relevant background information, highlight main issues in the philosophical debates, and include suggestions for topics that can be discussed in class or developed in essays. Students are asked to prepare one short presentation each, which they can use to develop ideas for essays. The module coordinator will provide guidance on how to prepare and write good research essays in philosophy throughout the semester.

Students may use generative Al for completing written assignments for certain purposes only (e.g. correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation) under the guidance of your module coordinator and within academic integrity guidelines. If students use generative AI, they are required to provide an appendix with copies of the entire conversation with generative AI (e.g. screenshots). Additionally, they are required to write a critical reflection on how generative AI was used in the preparation of the assignment and what was learned from the process.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy

 

Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students are invited to discuss their assignments with me prior to submission dates. Students will receive individual feedback on all assessment components. Feedback on presentations, mid-term essay, and outline of final research essay is meant to help students to be well prepared for the final research essay at the end of the trimester.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.