University of the West of England

MODULE SPECIFICATION

(Revised October 2005)

Code: UPZPM8-30-M Title: Phenomenology Version: 2

Level: M UWE credit rating: 30 ECTS credit rating: 15

Module type: Standard

Owning Faculty: SSH Field: Philosophy

Valid from: September 2008 Discontinued from: September 2008

Contributes towards: Awards up to MA (Hons)

Pre-requisites: BA (Hons)

Co-requisites: None

Excluded combinations: None

Learning outcomes:

Students will be able to demonstrate:

• A clear grasp of phenomenology at an advanced level.

• A postgraduate-level understanding of particular debates within phenomenology and an advanced, critical understanding with the various positions on a particular issue.

• An ability to conduct individual research at postgraduate level while making full use of philosophy journals and digital and online philosophy resources.

• An advanced and critical understanding of contemporary activity and research in phenomenology as seen in journal publications, exchanges between philosophers in journals and in other places such as websites and discussion groups.

NB: All learning outcomes will be assessed through all assessment points.

Syllabus outline:

The module will provide a forum for in-depth examination of phenomenology at a postgraduate level. The aim of the module is threefold:

    1. To provide in-depth postgraduate level study of phenomenology in relation to: metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind and ontology. Each year a different set text will be chosen which the students will read and write essays on, as well as present oral commentaries on in class (A+B).

    2. To develop individual research skills and provide guidance and feedback on students’ research techniques (A+B).

    3. To expose students to contemporary rather than historical work in phenomenology and to familiarise them with journal outputs and the dynamic exchanges between philosophers in printed and online journals. (A+B).

Teaching and learning methods:

The teaching will be done in seminar setting in one three-hour weekly slot. Each week a certain section of a text or a full article will be read in advance and then discussed. The discussion will include a student presentation, which will consist of a commentary on that week’s reading. Students will analyse and critically evaluate the reading.

Reading Strategy

Because the module is based on contemporary texts, the reading material will be a set phenomenological text and journal articles and online collections of articles. Hard copies of the relevant journals will be at the library and an online copy will be made available to the students via UWEOnline. Many journals have an online version, which makes obtaining reading material easy. Additional reading material will be ordered for the library. As the MA group is likely to be small we do not envisage a need for placing material on short loan. Students will also be encouraged to make full use of online resources, such as databases (e.g. the Philosophers’ Index, Project Muse) and other online collections on specific issues (e.g. Chalmers’ online collection of papers on consciousness).

Indicative Reading List:

Hubert Dreyfus (1991) Being-in-the-world: a commentary on Heidegger's Being and time, division I, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

Michael Gelven (1989) A commentary on Heidegger's Being and time, Northern Illinois University Press, Illinois.

Kisiel Theodore (1993) The Genesis of Heidegger’s Being and Time, University of California Press, Berkeley.

Lawrence Vogel (1994) The Fragile “We”, Northwestern University Press, Evanston.

Dermot Moran and Timothy Mooney, eds. (2002) The phenomenology reader, Routledge, London.

Dermot Moran (2000) Introduction to phenomenology, Routledge, London.

Martin Heidegger (1982) The basic problems of phenomenology, Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

Edmund Husserl (1960) Cartesian Meditations: an Introduction to Phenomenology, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.

Jacques Derrida (1989) Of Spirit: Heidegger and the Question, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Assessment

Weighting between components A and B (standard modules only) A: 30% B: 70%

ATTEMPT 1

First Assessment Opportunity

Component A

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Individual Presentation of a core problem and criticisms (15 mins) 20%

2. Short Analytical Summary Handout (1000 words) 10%

Component B

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Essay (5000 words) 70%

Second Assessment Opportunity (further attendance at taught classes is not required)

Component A

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Individual Presentation of a core problem and criticisms (15 mins) 20%

2. Short Analytical Summary Handout (1000 words) 10%

Component B

Description of each element Element weighting

1. Essay (5000 words) 70%

SECOND (OR SUBSEQUENT) ATTEMPT Attendance at classes is not required.

Specification confirmed by ………………………………………Date …………………………

(Associate Dean/Programme Director)

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