Course Catalogue

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In this course, we will explore philosophical questions concerning the ways in which people live together in communities, and the ways in which communities shape our social selves and activities. The branch of philosophy that explores these questions is called "social philosophy", and a considerable amount of social philosophy arises from or engages with the experiences of people who are socially marginalised in some way or another, for example in virtue of race, gender, class, disability, or sexuality. This course will explore a selection of questions in social philosophy that may include some of the following: What is it to belong to a social identity category - for example, what is it to be a disabled person, or an LGBTQ person? How can social dynamics and structures best be understood scientifically? What are social norms, and how do they come into existence? 

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.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Philosophy, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

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The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ 2000-word written assignment 65%

■ 1000-word written assignment 35%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the written assignments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course aims to:

■ Introduce students to core issues in social philosophy, connecting to at least two of the following areas of investigation: social metaphysics, social epistemology, social philosophy of language, philosophy of social science, and the ethics of social interactions. 

■ Introduce students to key interventions in social philosophy that engage with at least two types of social identity relating to marginalisation, at least one of which will be something other than gender or race (e.g. class, disability, or sexuality).

■ Encourage students to illustrate and apply arguments and positions about these issues to examples that motivated the original work, and also to examples of significance in the students' own lives.

■ Encourage students to hone their analytical and critical skills by assessing and developing these arguments and positions.

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

■ Describe and compare philosophical theories of selected social phenomena (such as social categories, social norms, social practices, social structures, social identities, epistemic injustice/oppression, subordinating/oppressive speech, social scientific methodology, and microaggressions).

■ Explain how some of these theories developed in relation to various types of social marginalisation.

■ Apply these theories both to examples that concerned those who developed them and also to examples that are significant in the students' own lives.

■ Explain and critically evaluate the arguments offered for and against these theories.