Undergraduate Courses

First Year

Current Students

First Year

Please make sure you are familiar with our policies on Essay deadlines and penalties

Please also note the following https://www.nuigalway.ie/media/celt/files/policies/QA202-Lecture-Recording.pdf

Queries about online learning answered here: Student Queries Recommended Stages 1st Yr

Mic Léinn: Ceist a ardú maidir le fadhbanna teagaisc

‌First-Year Handbook December 2021

First Year Modules 2021/2022

• Introduction to Practical Ethics
• Critical Thinking & Persuasive Writing
• Philosophical Questions & Issues
• Introduction to the History of Philosophy

Timetables:

1^st Arts Semester One 2021/2022

Lectures:

There will be a combination of lectures, live Q&A sessions and online content:

Tutorials (in person and online):

In addition, students will have two weekly hours of on campus and online tutorials, one for Practical Ethics (PI108), the other for Philosophy Skills (PISK1101 and PI120). These consist in completing a structured programme of tasks in break-out groups and larger tutorial groups. There will be four weekly slots to choose from for PI108 tutorials, and six weekly slots to choose from for Philosophy Skills.

Practical Ethics tutorials: Slots on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (to be confirmed)

Skills tutorials: Slots on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (to be confirmed)

Sign-up for tutorial groups will be on Blackboard.

Overall workload:

• 6 weekly live or online sessions (4 on campus Lecture/ Q&A sessions, 2 tutorials) plus recorded materials for General BA (20 ECTS/first year)
• 5 weekly live or online sessions (3 on campus Lecture/ Q&A sessions, 2 tutorials) plus recorded materials for Connect Programmes (15 ECTS/first year)

Philosophy Discipline

1^st Arts Semester Two 2021/2022 

The approach to teaching taken in this semester will be subject to review, pending Public Health advice.  As a default we are currently planning on continuing the delivery as in semester 1.

Staff Representative for First Years:   

Dr. Richard Hull for Semester One: richard.hull@nuigalway.ie
Dr. Lucy Elvis for Semester Two: lucy.elvis@nuigalway.ie

Student Representatives for First Years:   s.nicdhonnchadha1@nuigalway.ie

Dates of Semesters 

   Semester One:            Orientation:   22^nd  September 2021 – 26^th September 2021

                                                 Teaching:      27^th September 2021 – 17^th December 2021

   Semester Two:             Teaching:      10^th  January 2022 – 1^st  April 2022

                                                  Field Trips:    4^th April 2022 – 8^th April 2022

                                                  Study week:  11^th April 2022 – 15^th April 2022

                                                  Semester 2 Exams: 19^th April 2022 – 6^th May 2022

Blackboard

Familiarity with Blackboard is essential. All recorded lectures will be posted on Blackboard and all live on-line teaching sessions will be accessed via Blackboard (or sometimes, via Zoom). Course pages on Blackboard will also contain all notes, PowerPoint slides, further reading and communications from lecturers. In addition, sign-up for tutorials will take place on this platform. So, learning how to use Blackboard as a new student will be vital to our successful delivery of a meaningful interactive learning experience.

Please click on the link below to become more familiar with our Virtual Learning Environment:

http://www.nuigalway.ie/information-solutions-services/services-for-students/blackboard/students/

Compulsory/ Optional Courses:

All courses are compulsory for B.A. students (Joint Honours).     B.A. Connect students do not have to take PI120 Philosophical Questions and Issues.

Schedule of Courses:

Individual Course Details:

Introduction to Practical Ethics 

Lecturer: Dr. R. Hull

Course description: This course (Practical Ethics) provides a rigorous examination of a wide range of contemporary ethical issues. Students will learn about the ethical theories that tend to inform our practical decision making. Those theories will then be applied to a number of contemporary issues. These may include genetic selection, pre-natal testing, assisted death, social inequality and world poverty. Readings will be recommended for each topic via Blackboard.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by written essay at the end of the first semester and/or alternative form of assessment.

Core texts:

Mizzoni, J. Ethics: the basics, Blackwell 2010.

La Follette, H, ed., Ethics in Practice: An Anthology, Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.

Singer, P. Practical Ethics, Cambridge University Press, 2011.  

Wolff, J. An introduction to moral philosophy, Norton, 2018.

Critical Thinking & Persuasive Writing 

Lecturer:  Dr. N. Tosh

Course description: Successful humanities students are sophisticated consumers and producers of arguments.   In this key skills module students will learn to distinguish arguments from other forms of persuasion; to map the argumentative structure of a complex text; to spot fallacious patterns of reasoning; and to plan and compose a strong argumentative essay.    Since these skills are not topic-specific, illustrations will be drawn from a range of academic disciplines.  No knowledge of philosophy will be assumed.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination:  Overall assessment is by continuous assessment in the first semester and a take-home assignment in semester two.

Core texts:         

The course is self-contained and there is no set text. However, for extension reading students may wish to consult the following:

Fisher, A. (2011). Critical Thinking: An Introduction.
Bowell, T. and Kemp, G. (2010). Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide.

Philosophical Questions & Issues 

Lecturers:    Dr. L. Elvis (Semester One)
                           Dr. N. Tosh & Dr. J. O'Reilly (Semester Two)         

Course description: This course aims to introduce students to a diversity of philosophical approaches to the problem of meaning and value. Issues covered will include some of the following: justice, poverty, love, death, totalitarianism, genetics and human life, human rights, free will, violence and the meaning of life.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials. It is team taught by different lecturers each year. More specific readings will be advised at the beginning of each semester.

Methods of assessment and examination:  Overall assessment is by an essay at the end of the first semester and an essay at the end of the second semester. Mid-term assignment may be required.

Selected texts: 

Law, S., The Philosophy Gym: 25 Short Adventures in Thinking
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Various editions
Bretall, R. (ed.), A Kierkegaard Anthology
Plato, Symposium, various editions 
Barry, B., Democracy, power and justice
Glover, J., Choosing Children
Singer, P., A Companion to Ethics
Wolff, J., An Introduction to Political Philosophy
John Locke, “Of Identity and Diversity” (II. Xxvii), in Essay on Human Understanding 

Introduction to History of Philosophy

Lecturer:  Dr. O. Richardson

Course description:

The course will introduce students to key thinkers and ideas in the history of western philosophy. Since ancient philosophy is so central to this history, the first half of the course is devoted to some of its most important achievements in the work of the Pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle. Attention is then turned to aspects of medieval philosophy, and the great rationalist and empiricist traditions (represented by Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz, and Locke and Hume, respectively). Lectures will also be offered on Kant, Nietzsche, and the analytic and phenomenological traditions

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination:  Overall assessment is by written exam at the end of second semester.   Mid-term assignment may be required.

Core texts:   

Copleston, History of Philosophy, Image Publishing
Guthrie, W. K. C., The Greek Philosophers from Thales to Aristotle, Methuen
Johnston, D., A Brief History of Philosophy, Continuum
Plato, Republic, Penguin
Russell, B., History of Western Philosophy, Routledge
Solomon, R. and Higgins, K., A Short History of Philosophy, Oxford
Stumpf, S. E., and Fieser, J., Socrates to Sartre and Beyond, McGraw Hill

Second Year

Entry requirements: A pass in First Arts Philosophy or its equivalent in the case of exchange and visiting students

‌Revised Second-year Handbook December 21

Please also note the following https://www.nuigalway.ie/media/celt/files/policies/QA202-Lecture-Recording.pdf

Answers to queries re. online learning available here : 

Student Queries Recommended Stages 2nd Yr

Mic Léinn: Ceist a ardú maidir le fadhbanna teagaisc

Staff Representative for Second Years:   

Dr Nick Tosh, nick.tosh@nuigalway.ie

Student Representatives for Second Year:   TBA

TBA:  Email address: TBA
TBA:  Email address: TBA

Second Year Modules 2021/2022

Semester 1:

• PI216 History of Modern Philosophy (compulsory)

plus two of the following optional modules:

• PI240 Bioethics 
• PI207 Philosophy of Art
• PI210 Moral and Political Philosophy
• [PI2108 Philosophy in Irish Schools]

Semester 2: three of the following optional modules:

• PI234 Topics in Practical Philosophy (***newly available in 2021/22***)
• PI247 Nietzsche and Philosophy
• PI248 Phenomenology
• PI2102 Formal Logic
• PI2101 Information Ethics 
• [PI2105 Philosophical Inquiry through P4C / PI2009 Philosophy in Irish Schools]

 Due to unexpected staff changes,  PI2100 (East Asian Philosophy and Culture) will not be available this academic year.

Timetables

Compulsory/Optional Courses:

PI216 is compulsory; all other second-year modules are optional. You should take three modules each semester. There may be occasional conflicts with other subjects. Before you register, make sure there are no conflicts with modules that you will be taking in your other subject. 

Teaching timetable

* PLEASE BE AWARE THAT DELIVERY MODE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DEPENDING ON PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE AND OTHER EVOLVING CIRCUMSTANCES*

2^nd Arts Semester One 2021/2022

2^nd Arts Semester Two 2021/2022 

Individual Course Details:

History of Modern Philosophy

 Lecturers: Prof. Felix Ó Murchadha and Dr Tsarina Doyle

Course description: Prof. Ó Murchadha will examine the development of Rationalism from Descartes to Leibiniz. Special attention will be paid to the rationalist attempt to give a systematic account of both human and non-human reality. Dr Doyle will examine the relation between empirical science and metaphysics in the eighteenth-century period of Enlightenment, with particular emphasis on the philosophies of Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is based on written examination. Written course work (essay) - if required - is added to the evaluation.

Core Texts:
Selected passages from the following text will be considered:
Roger Ariew & Eric Watkins (eds) Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 1998).

Moral and Political Philosophy

 Lecturer: Dr Orla Richardson

Course description: This module is an introduction to several important topics and questions in political and moral philosophy, such as: What, if anything, legitimises governmental authority and the exercise of political power? What is justice? What is the nature of citizenship? Is a free market a necessary component of a free society? What principles ground our fundamental notions of property rights, freedom, and equality? To explore these questions, we will begin by reading extracts from the Ancients, primarily Plato and Aristotle. We will then examine the ideas of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Finally, we will review texts by nineteenth century authors, like J.S. Mill and Karl Marx. Overall, the aim of this course is to trace the ideas that have shaped our contemporary political systems and to equip us to think critically about what conditions make ‘the good society’ possible. 

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by discussion sessions utilising a community-of-inquiry approach to philosophical reflection.

Methods of assessment and evaluation: 

1. Continuous assessment: seven Discussion Questions submitted over the course of the semester. Each worth 4% of your final grade. 

2. Final paper: submitted at the end of the semester. Worth 72% of your final grade.

Core Texts:
Steven M. Cahn, ed., Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2011) 

Information Ethics

 Lecturer: Dr Heike Felzmann

Course description: This module aims to provide students with a critical understanding of current and emerging ethical concerns in relation to internet services, social media, big data and robotics, including issues such as privacy, online identity, and human-robot interaction. Philosophical reflection of core concepts will underlie the discussion of emerging concerns in the field. Preparation of weekly readings is an essential requirement for participation.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by essay.

Core Texts:
Readings, primarily consisting of recent academic journal articles, and other supporting materials will be provided for each topic on Blackboard. The following are useful preparatory reading materials, but not required class readings:

Luciano Floridi (Ed) (2010). The Cambridge Handbook of information and Computer Ethics
Patrick Lin, Keith Abney, & George Bekey (Eds.). (2012). Robot ethics: the ethical and social implications of robotics. MIT Press.

Patrick Lin, Keith Abney, & Ryan Jenkins (Eds.). (2017). Robot ethics 2.0: From autonomous cars to artificial intelligence. Oxford University Press

Deborah Lupton (2016). The Quantified Self, Polity Press.

Helen Nissenbaum (2009). Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy and integrity of Social Life, Stanford University Press.

Shannon Vallor (2015). Social Networking and Ethics, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-social-networking/

Jeroen van den Hoven et al. (2019). Privacy and Information Technology, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/it-privacy/

Shoshanna Zuboff (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. Profile Books

Philosophy of Art

 Lecturer: Dr Lucy Elvis

Course description: This module is an introduction to philosophical approaches to various artforms across Western history of ideas. It gives students the skills to rigorously understand relevant key texts as well as critically discuss them in relation to a range of art practices and artworks. Whether pre-modern, modern, or contemporary, the philosophical approaches considered cover a variety of methods
including from the analytic and interpretive traditions. Similarly, the artforms discussed span a variety of historical periods, movements and categories.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by essay.

Core Texts:
Gracyk, T., The Philosophy of Art, Polity Press
Carroll, N., Philosophy of Art: A Contemporary Introduction, Routledge
Hofstadter, A. and Kuhns, R., Philosophies of Art and Beauty: Selected Readings in Aesthetics from Plato to Heidegger, University of Chicago Press
Bredin, H. and Santoro-Brienza, L., Philosophies of Art and Beauty: Introduction to Aesthetics, Edinburgh University Press

Nietzsche and Philosophy

 Lecturer: Dr Tsarina Doyle

Course description: This course shall introduce students to some of the central themes informing the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche. Comprising a close reading of his writings, it offers students an opportunity to explore such concepts as perspectivism, the will to power, nihilism, the death of God, master and slave morality, genealogy, the Ubermensch and eternal recurrence. Nietzsche’s response to traditional philosophical problems of truth and knowledge and his use of the language of falsification and illusion shall also be considered. All students shall be expected to engage in class discussions.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by written essay.

Core Texts:
Ansell Pearson, Keith and Large, Duncan (eds) 2006, The Nietzsche Reader, Blackwell.
Clarke, Maudemarie 1990, Nietzsche on Truth and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press.
Ansell Pearson, Keith, (ed.) 2006, A companion to Nietzsche, Blackwell.
May, Simon 1999, Nietzsche's Ethics and his War on 'Morality', Clarendon Press.
Schacht, Richard 1983, Nietzsche, Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Solomon, Robert C., and Higgins, Kathleen M. 1988, Reading Nietzsche, Oxford University Press.

Formal Logic

 Lecturer: Dr Nick Tosh

Course description: Formal logic is the systematic study of deductive reasoning. It is motivated by such questions as ‘what does it mean to say that a piece of reasoning is “correct”?’, ‘how can we tell when a piece of reasoning is correct?’, and ‘could we program a machine to do the job for us?’ The course begins with the concept of validity, and then moves on to cover sentence logic, truth tables, natural deduction, and elementary predicate logic. Throughout, we lean heavily on Paul Teller’s Logic Primer, now freely available online (https://tellerprimer.ucdavis.edu/). No previous knowledge is assumed, but good study habits are essential. Readings and practice exercises will be set each week, and students who fall behind may find it difficult to catch up.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by written exam, supplemented by some short in-class written tests.

Core Texts:
Paul Teller, A Modern Formal Logic Primer, https://tellerprimer.ucdavis.edu/

Bioethics

 Lecturer: Dr Nora Ward

Course description: This seminar is concerned with contemporary issues in Bioethics. It will introduce a variety of normative ethical theories to provide a foundation for the critical analysis of a range of issues arising from the biological and medical sciences. These are likely to include abortion, euthanasia/physician assisted suicide, disability, genetic modification and resource allocation. It is intended that students will gain knowledge of moral philosophy that equips them to evaluate some of the most pressing dilemmas facing biomedical practice.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by essay.

Core Texts:
Beauchamp, T., & Childress, J., Principles of Biomedical Ethics, OUP, 1994.
Singer, P. (Ed), A Companion to Ethics, Blackwell, 1993.

Philosophical Inquiry through P4C

 Lecturers: Dr L. Elvis and Dr O. Richardson

Course description: This is a peer-assisted learning module. It focuses on an educational approach to learning called Philosophy for Children (P4C). P4C is a form of inquiry-based learning that encourages critical thinking through democratic dialogue. It is a pedagogy that helps to foster critical, creative, and caring thinking skills amongst all types of learners. Through this internationally practised pedagogy, groups of learners become ‘communities of inquiry’, tackling philosophical questions they themselves identify and formulate. Through thinking together, these communities learn to challenge assumptions, give reasons, and cultivate their critical thinking skills. The module will provide students with a theoretical introduction to the P4C pedagogy, the opportunity to experience the pedagogy as members of a community of inquiry, and the skills needed to become a P4C facilitator. Students will develop their own facilitation practice by delivering P4C workshops (in teams) to groups of NUIG first-year philosophy students on campus at NUIG. 

Prerequisites:

• This module is capped at 21 students. If you would like to be considered for a place you must complete an expression of interest form. The EOI must be completed and submitted by 5pm on Monday 17/01/22. The form is available here.
• In week 3 of the semester, there will be a weekend training event. Attendance at this training event is compulsory for any student registered for PI2105. 
• Garda vetting must be completed by any student participating in this module. Students will receive vetting information in week 2 of the semester. 

Teaching and learning methods: This course is taught through a mixture of lectures and seminar-based learning.

Methods of assessment

1) Satisfactory participation in all classes - including assigned facilitation of P4C workshops - is required.

2) Students are required to submit a detailed “theory-to-practice” journal.   In this journal, students will engage in theoretical reflection on the P4C pedagogy in response to short readings and will assess the impact of that reflection on their classroom practices. 

3) Book module and associated lesson plan.

Core Texts: You are not required to purchase a textbook. All extracts from primary texts will be available on Blackboard. However, there is a list of suggested preparatory core readings below:

Gregory, Maughn, Joanna Haynes, and Karin Murris. The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophy for Children. New York: Routledge, 2017.

Gregory, Laverty, Gregory, Maughn, and Laverty, Megan. In Community of Inquiry with Ann Margaret Sharp: Childhood, Philosophy and Education. Routledge International Studies in the Philosophy of Education, 2018.

Lipman, Matthew. Thinking in Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Lipman, Matthew, Ann Margaret Sharp, and Frederick S. Oscanyan. Philosophy in the Classroom. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, [Pa.]: Temple University Press, 1980

Lyons, A., McIlrath, L. & Munck, R. Higher Education and Civic Engagement: Comparative Perspectives. UK: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012.

Naji, Rosnani Hashim, and Naji, Saeed. History, Theory and Practice of Philosophy for Children: International Perspectives. Routledge Research in Education. 2017. 

Final Year

Third Year

Entry requirements: A pass in Second Arts Philosophy or its equivalent in the case of visiting and exchange students. Students registered for the B.A. (International) must also have attained a satisfactory academic performance during their year abroad.

For further details see: 

Updated Final Year Handbook January 2022

‌Please make sure you are familiar with our policies on Essay deadlines and penalties.

Answeres to queries regarding online learning available here : 

Students' queries recommended stages 3rd Years

Mic Léinn: Ceist a ardú maidir le fadhbanna teagaisc

Please also note the following https://www.nuigalway.ie/media/celt/files/policies/QA202-Lecture-Recording.pdf

Semester dates 

Semester One:  

Teaching:                        6^th September 2021 – 26^th November 2021

Study week:                  29^th November 2021 - 3^rd December 2021 

Semester 1 Exams:       6^th-17^th December 2021

Semester Two:   

Teaching:                      10^th January 2022 – 1^st April 2022 

Study week:                  11^th– 15^th April 2022 

Semester 2 Exams:       19^th April 2022 – 6^th May 2022 

Third Year Modules 2021/2022

All third-year courses are optional. You should pick three modules each semester. Familiarity with Blackboard is essential for your learning this year: https://www.nuigalway.ie/information-solutions-services/services-for-students/blackboard/

Semester 1:

• PI3100 Kant’s Theoretical Philosophy (Dr. Doyle)
• PI246 American Pragmatism (Dr. Doyle)
• PI335 Moral Theory (Dr. Ward)
• PI315 Philosophy of Mind (Dr. O'Reilly)
• PI310 Topics in Applied Philosophy (Dr. Hull)
• PI3104 Philosophy and Culture in Context (with placement) (Dr. Elvis)

Semester 2:
Students are required to take THREE out of the following 7 Modules.
Please note that to register for PI399 you must have achieved a Second Year grade of 2:1 or higher in Philosophy.

• PI399 Extended Essay (Dr. Ward)
• PI3102 Contemporary East Asian Philosophies (Dr. Cipriani) (***Withdrawn in 2021/22***)
• PI3103 Environmental Ethics (Dr. Ward)
• PI241 History of Irish Thought (Dr. O'Reilly)
• PI129 Advanced Philosophical Text (Advanced Logic) (Dr. Tosh)
• PI331 Readings in Metaphysics (Prof. Ó Murchadha)
• PI327 Philosophy of Religion (Prof. Ó Murchadha)
• PI233 Topics in Continental Philosophy (Dr. Elvis) (***Newly available in 2021/22***)

Timetables

* DELIVERY MODE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DEPENDING ON PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE AND OTHER EVOLVING CIRCUMSTANCES*

                                                                   3rd Arts Semester One 2021/22

3^rd Arts Semester Two 2021/2022

*PLEASE BE AWARE THAT DELIVERY MODE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DEPENDING ON PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE AND OTHER EVOLVING CIRCUMSTANCES*

There is no need to sign up to tutorials at the beginning of the year - lecturers will make and communicate any arrangements that might be in place with regard to splitting their classes for tutorials.  All modules will provide an interactive component to students.

Staff Representative for Third Years:   

Prof. Felix Ó Murchadha:  felix.murchadha@nuigalway.ie

Student Representatives for Third/Final Years:   TBA

TBA:  Email address: TBA
TBA:  Email address: TBA

Individual Course Details

Semester 1

Kant’s Theoretical Philosophy

Lecturer:  Dr. Tsarina Doyle

Course description: This module examines Kant's theoretical philosophy by focussing on his arguments for transcendental idealism in the Critique of Pure Reason. Particular attention will be paid to Kant's ambitious aim to establish the objectivity of Newtonian science whilst leaving room for the possibility of God, freedom and immortality by focussing on his arguments for the transcendental ideality of space and time, his argument for the transcendental deduction of the categories, his distinction between phenomena and noumena, the argument of the Analogies and Antinomies. The module also incorporates a number of revision exercises to help with student learning and understanding of the text.

American Pragmatism

Lecturer: Dr. Tsarina Doyle

Course description: This course shall examine central themes at the heart of American pragmatism. We begin by addressing the historical and scientific background informing the emergence of the pragmatist movement in nineteenth-century America. Taking the pragmatist denial of absolute beliefs as our guiding theme, the course explores the pragmatist writings of William James in the nineteenth-century and Richard Rorty in the twentieth-century. In particular, we focus on James's rejection of philosophical oppositions. Finally, we shall turn to the neo-pragmatism of Rorty's Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature paying particular attention to both his critique of the representational view of the mind and his recommendation of social pragmatism.

Moral Theory 

Lecturer:  Dr. Nora Ward

Course description: This course will introduce students to important positions and concepts in contemporary moral theory. It covers the traditional theories of consequentialism, deontology and virtue theory, as well as contemporary theories, such as the principle-based approach to bioethics, care ethics and narrative ethics.  It will also explore amoralism and relativism and engage with the concepts of responsibility, conscience and moral luck. Preparation of weekly readings and willingness to participate constructively in class discussion are essential requirements for participation.

Philosophy of Mind

 Lecturers:  Dr John O’Reilly

Course Description: The course begins with an introduction to three influential approaches to mental phenomena – Logical Behaviourism, Identity Theory, and the emergence of Functionalism. The second part of the course builds on these foundations via an exploration of David Lewis’ Analytic Functionalism and Jerry Fodor’s Psycho-functionalism. At this stage, we are ready to look at the Computational Theory of Mind and Daniel Dennett’s Intentional Stance. The final section of the course focuses on John Searle’s critique of the Computational approach to the mind with his “Chinese Room” thought experiment and on the advent of Embodied Cognition as a criticism of overly mind-centred accounts of cognition.

Topics in Applied Philosophy

 Lecturers:  Dr Richard Hull

Course description: This course is concerned with the application of the study of philosophy to issues of public concern. It takes the experiences of disability and social deprivation as case studies and looks at how such experiences can best be theoretically articulated. Particular attention is given to rival theories of human freedom and their relevance to contemporary social and political debates. Attention is also focused on how different theories of justice and morality imply very different social responses to the issues of disability and deprivation. Subjects covered include Rawls’ theory of freedom, Nozick's libertarianism, the acts/omissions distinction and the doctrine of double effect. The course is designed to give students an analytical background that can be used to explore other contemporary social and political issues.

Philosophy and Culture in Context

Lecturers:  Dr Lucy Elvis

Course description: This module explores philosophical approaches to the production and consumption of art and culture. Beginning with the question ‘What is culture?’ it progresses to exploring approaches to culture by a range of German thinkers from the 18th to 20th century from Schiller and Nietzsche to contributions from a range of thinkers from the Frankfurt school (Benjamin, Adorno, Horkheimer and Marcuse).  In the case of each thinker, we ask what the task of culture is, (an existential conform, a form of elevation, a means of control or a revolutionary force, for example) and the implications of this account for how we engage with cultural phenomena.
This module focuses on reflecting on these varied ideas in practice, and as such students have a choice of continuous assessment options including a placement at TULCA festival of arts or producing a short podcast.

Semester 2:

Extended Essay

Lecturers:  Dr Nora Ward

Course description: The extended essay is an independent piece of research, intended to allow you to demonstrate the full range of your understanding of a topic of your choice. While you should not be afraid of being ambitious in terms of the argument that you present, you are expected to identify a clearly defined and specific research question, demonstrate high standards in literature research and present a well-supported and specific argument. You are required to discuss the choice of essay topic with a lecturer before the beginning of Semester 2 and obtain their agreement to be your supervisor. Work for this module consists in reflecting on the different stages of essay development within the group and attending supervisory meeting several times during the semester. 

Contemporary East Asian Philosophies (***Withdrawn in 2021/22***)

Lecturers:  Dr Gerald Cipriani

Course description: This module introduces students to modern and current East Asian philosophies. The first part provides an overview of the transformations of Chinese philosophy from the beginning of the 20th centruy to contemporary China, focusing on the ways philosophical traditions came under the influence of Western philosophy and were affected by socio-political events. The second part considers the development of Japanese modern philosphy from the end of the 19th century to present times, spanning the Kyoto School, modern ethics and contemporary philosophy of culture.  The module requries basic familiarity with pre-modern East Asian philosphies. 

Environmental Ethics

Lecturers:  Dr Nora Ward

Course description: This class will focus on the ethical, ecological and social dimensions of environmental issues. We begin with an exploration of the perception of nature in Western thought, through a review of texts that shaped the field of environmental ethics. As such, we will explore the relationship between human and non-human nature, addressing questions such as "Does non-human nature matter for its own sake, or simply for the sake of fulfilling human interests? What about the value of holistic entities such as ecosystems? What is intrinsic value anyway, and how does it differ from instrumental value?" Towards the latter half of the course, we will focus on the philosophical implications of international environmental issues such as climate change, indigenous rights, ecofeminism, environment justice and eco-terrorism.

History of Irish Thought

Lecturers:  Dr John O’Reilly

Course Description: The course History of Irish Thought introduces the student to the thought of Irish men and women who have made a contribution to philosophical thought. This year the course will focus on two particular individuals, the 18th parliamentarian and writer Edmund Burke (1729 –1797) and the contemporary political philosopher Philip Pettit. Our main concern shall be to examine their respective contributions to questions of liberty, good government, and the sources of a just and stable society.

Advanced Philosophical Text

 Lecturers:  Dr Nick Tosh

Course description: This module allows students to read a philosophical text in much greater detail than is allowed by an ordinary survey course. The choice of text will allow teaching to follow specific research interests developed by the lecturer in charge of the course.

For this Academic Year (2021/2022) PI129 is a formal logic course. The 'Advanced Philosophical Text' is Paul Teller's Modern Formal Logic Primer. The course focuses on chapters 8 and 9 of Volume 1, and chapters 1-3 and 7-9 of Volume 2.

 Prerequisites: You need to have passed PI2102 Formal Logic or have an equivalent level of experience with formal logic.

Readings in Metaphysics

 Lecturers:  Prof. Felix Ó Murchadha

Course description: This is a text-based course concentrating on a classical methaphysical text from the history of philosophy.  This year we will be reading Plato's Timaeus. Guided by this specific text, questions concerning, inter alia, being, non-being, substance, possibility, cause, god, time, the body, sensation and nature will be discussed. The discussion will be both informed by historical scholarship and focused on the systematic questions and issues as they arise. 

Philosophy of Religion

Lecturers: Prof. Felix Ó Murchadha

Course description: This course will discuss one of the principle problems of the philosophy of religion, namely the relation of faith and reason.  The relation of faith and reason has been a matter of controversy since the early Christian thinkers.  In modernity, with a revised account of reason and rationality, the question became increasingly complex and the philosophical positions on this issue increasingly divergent.  We will look at two philosophers: Kant and Kierkegaard.  Following upon that, we will discuss a number of themes including forgiveness, language, love, violence and time.

Topics in Continental Philosophy

Lecturers: Dr. Lucy Elvis

Course description:  This module examines the philosophical hermeneutics proposed by Hans-Georg Gadamer in his magnum opus Truth and Method. After exploring the foundations of hermeneutics in Schleiermacher, Dilthey and Heidegger; students will consider the following core concepts within Gadamer’s hermeneutics: the fusion of horizons, prejudice, experience, tradition, language and play. Together, we’ll critically consider the contribution Gadamer makes to hermeneutics as a philosophical approach to building understanding and to making oneself understood as well as engaging with the critical rejoinders to Gadamer in both poststructuralism and the critical hermeneutics developed by Habermas and Ricœur.