Please note: there may be some adjustments to the teaching arrangements published in the course catalogue for 2020-21. Given current circumstances related to the Covid-19 pandemic it is anticipated that some usual arrangements for teaching on campus will be modified to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff on campus; further adjustments may also be necessary, or beneficial, during the course of the academic year as national requirements relating to management of the pandemic are revised.

Emotions PHIL4009

  • Academic Session: 2022-23
  • School: School of Humanities
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Available to Erasmus Students: Yes

Short Description

Emotions occupy a central place in our lives, and are increasingly the object of philosophical attention. In this course we will consider questions concerning the nature of emotions, the role they play in our lives, whether they are irrational responses or might be essential to theoretical and practical reasoning.

Timetable

16x1hr lectures; 4x1hr seminars over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in Philosophy and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Requirements of Entry

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Philosophy, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Exam (90 Minutes) - 40%

Essay (3000 words) - 60%

Main Assessment In: April/May

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable for Honours courses

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Course Aims

The course aims to:

■ Introduce students to contemporary theories of emotions.

■ Outline some of the competing accounts on the relationships between emotions, judgements, and feelings.

■ Introduce students to competing views of the rationality of emotions.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

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

 

■ Explain and evaluate the main theories about the nature of emotion;

■ Critically discuss the relationship between emotions and judgements;

■ Critically discuss the relationship between emotions and feelings;

■ Explain and assess the claim that emotions are irrational;

■ Critically discuss the claim that emotions are essential to flourishing human lives. 

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

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