Course Catalogue

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The 20th Century witnessed some of Western philosophy's greatest figures: Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Rudolf Carnap, Elizabeth Anscombe, Willard Van Orman Quine, Phillipa Foot, and David Lewis. This course explores the ideas of these and many other mighty thinkers by charting the progress of philosophy during the better part of the last 100 years. This course provides a grounding in the recent history of the issues that form the cutting edge of philosophy today

Two hours per week for 10 weeks

Block 3, Wednesdays 19.00-21.00

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One essay of 2,000 words assessing one of the philosophical views discussed in the course, to be submitted by the final class meeting.

This course aims to:

■ Develop students' critical and analytical skills through engagement with philosophical discourse.

■ Introduce students to some of the key ideas and movements in 20th century western philosophy.

■ Present students with a range of philosophical arguments from the 20th century.

■ Equip students with some of the elements of scholarly method and theoretical understanding required to pursue further study in this and other scholarly areas.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Demonstrate a critical understanding of the relevant philosophical texts in class discussion.

■ Display a comprehension of the some of the key ideas and movements in 20th century philosophy.

■ Demonstrate an understanding of the development of western philosophical thought during the last century.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.