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.

Epistemology A PHIL5091

  • Academic Session: 2022-23
  • School: School of Humanities
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 1
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Available to Erasmus Students: No

Short Description

A Masters level course in Epistemology which develops undergraduate level understanding of the field, including Normativity, Virtue and Scepticism, towards a foundation for postgraduate research in Philosophy.

Timetable

1x1hr lecture per week over 10 weeks, 1x1hr seminar per week over 10 weeks. Options running in a given year are available on MyCampus.

Requirements of Entry

Standard entry to Masters at College level.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

One essay of 4000-5000 words - 100%

Course Aims

This course aims to:

• Develop students understanding of Epistemology to a level which allow them to engage with contemporary positions and arguments in the field

• Enable students to articulate and critically evaluate their own position within these contemporary issues

• Provide a foundation in this field for future engagement in original research in Philosophy

• Provide the opportunity to achieve a foundation that equips the student for research leading to a Ph.D. in the following areas: Virtue Epistemology, Epistemic Luck, Epistemic Value, Epistemic Normativity, Epistemic Justification, The Analysis of Knowledge, Understanding.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

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

• Explain the contemporary positions and arguments in a focused subfield of Epistemology

• Articulate arguments for and against these theories, and compare them fruitfully and critically

• Recognise and incorporate contemporary positions and arguments in Epistemology into their own developing research fields where relevant

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.