Values & Knowledge (MA)

Course Overview

‌The relation between values and knowledge is a central concern for any society. At present, it is widely assumed that the pursuit of knowledge is valuable only to the degree that it has measurable practical benefits as an outcome. Our MA programme offers a context for detailed consideration of this assumption. We identify and question the issues involved in it at deeper levels of analysis than are available through ordinary discussion.

This high level of critical scrutiny is made possible through the programme’s broad philosophical perspective - engaging with questions arising in other disciplines also. More specifically, our programme provides an in-depth study of different forms of values in terms of both their cognitive basis and their relation to other areas of knowledge and activity. We also consider the way in which knowledge has been defined and theorized since the Enlightenment. The programme combines historical perspectives and contemporary critical debates so as to provide a fund of analytic and argumentative skills that are advantageous for further work in philosophy or for competing in the job market. A notable feature of the programme is that students are given the opportunity to organize a peer-reviewed international graduate conference. In so doing, students of the programme engage in knowledge exchange with their international peers.

Scholarships Available
Find out about our Postgraduate Scholarships here.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Additional Requirements

Course Outline

Full-time

The full-time programme is completed over one academic year.  Students must take modules and complete a minor dissertation to the value of 90 ECTS in total.

Part-time

• Students must take modules and complete a minor dissertation to the value of 90 ECTS in total over two years

• Students must attain 30 ECTS in year 1 to progress to Year 2

• Students must attain 60 ECTS in Year 2.

The range of modules on offer may vary from year to year depending on staff availability

Sample Modules

Research Methods CORE 10 ECTS

Philosophy seminar: participation and management CORE 10 ECTS

Dissertation CORE 30 ECTS

Political Values in the Modern World OPTIONAL 10 ECTS

Moral Reasoning OPTIONAL 10 ECTS

The Philosophy of Emotion OPTIONAL 10 ECTS

Knowledge and Value in Modernity OPTIONAL 10 ECTS

Environmental Aesthetics OPTIONAL 10 ECTS

Ethics and Artificial Intelligence OPTIONAL 10 ECTS

Cultural Philosophy of Globalisation OPTIONAL 10 ECTS

Phenomenology of Art and Culture OPTIONAL 10 ECTS 

 
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Core modules

PI6104 Research Methods—Dr.Heike Felzmann

This course will support students in developing advanced research skills in philosophy. Students will develop familiarity and competence with the advanced use of library resources and electronic databases relevant to philosophy research and will be introduced to the use of reference management programmes. They will discuss basic elements of advanced philosophical writing and will be supported throughout the different stages of developing their MA thesis. The module will comprise some on-line discussions via Blackboard.

PI504.I Philosophy Seminar: Participation and Management—Dr. Tsarina Doyle

This module allows students to do a substantial presentation of their research at discipline level, and to receive training and experience in both chairing seminars and contributing to them. Assessment is based on the presented paper in semester 1 or 2

PI6106 Dissertation

Each student will write a 15,000-word dissertation, based on research into a topic of their choice, and supervised by a member of staff in Philosophy.

Optional Modules

PI6103 Knowledge and Value in Modernity—Dr. Tsarina Doyle

This module will examine the issues of Value and Knowledge in the historical context of Modernity. Attention will be given to such issues as the character of human subjectivity, the relation between mind and world, objectivity, the status of natural science and human values, and the character of modern culture. A range of modern philosophers will be discussed, including Hume, Kant and Nietzsche. Attention will also be given to the intersections between modern and contemporary arguments.

PI6110 Ethics and Artificial Intelligence – Dr. Heike Felzmann

Artificial intelligence technologies have evolved dramatically in recent years, impacting on many areas of human life. Societal responses to these developments have ranged from enthusiastic optimism to deep suspicion. The module will explore prominent ethical issues arising in relation to the design, use and societal impact of Artificial Intelligence. Topics addressed in the module include Philosophy of Technology, Value Sensitive Design, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), Privacy and consent, Contextual integrity, Transparency and explainable AI, Trust and Trustworthiness, Datafication, Algorithmic surveillance, Algorithmic Bias, Autonomous artificial agents and responsibility, and Human replacement.

PI6102 Political Values in the Modern World—Dr. Richard Hull

This course will look at the ways in which political values interact with the modern world. It will begin with an introduction to central political and ethical theories along with exploration of key distinctions that tend to be relied upon, whether implicitly or explicitly.   It will then focus on current issues in political theory, concentrating on themes such as justice, equality, freedom, toleration and genetics.  It will look at how these themes are contested in modern diverse democracies.

PI6108 Environmental Aesthetics—Dr. Gerald Cipriani

This module aims to provide students with an insightful understanding and critical grasp of environmental issues in relation to aesthetic values. The module will draw from a variety of philosophical and cultural traditions East-West to explore aesthetic conceptions of nature or the environment at large. Those include beauty, the sublime, the picturesque, the wilderness, the environment and the idea of milieu.

PI6105 Moral Reasoning—Dr. Heike Felzmann

Moral reasoning is conceptualised in fundamentally different ways, from being rational and principle-driven, to being based on intuition or affective processes, to being grounded in shared social practices. In this course students will explore different approaches to moral reasoning in relation to both historical and contemporary authors, and address the relation between philosophical analysis and psychological and neuroscientific findings.

PI6101 The Philosophy of Emotion—Dr. Felix O’Murchadha

This course will explore emotion and feeling from a phenomenological perspective. Taking account of classical phenomenological texts and contemporary debates, this course will consist in a discussion of the nature of emotion, an analysis of specific emotions and finally an exploration of some broader themes with respect to emotion, specifically with respect to the constitution of the self and the nature personhood.

SPA442 Phenomenology of Art & Culture—Dr. Gerald Cipriani

The module explores the phenomenology of art and culture. The lectures draw from the philosophical tradition that seeks to disclose and understand the formation of meaning as it appears in practice, perception and interpretation. The module therefore introduces the students to the methods and styles of phenomenology with particular reference to the visual arts and cultures. Phenomenology should not here be understood in the narrow sense of a dogmatic theoretical framework, but rather as a form of reflection that makes us both becoming aware of and contributing to the processes involved in meaning formation from different perspectives. Authors considered include Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, and Lyotard.

PI6107 Cultural Philosophy of Globalisation—Dr. Gerald Cipriani

This module aims to provide students with an insightful understanding and critical grasp of ethical and aesthetic issues related to the phenomenon of globalisation. Those include the impact globalisation has had on identity formation, whether that of persons, cultures, or communities. The module will also consider the degree to which technology affects ethical and aesthetic values within the context of globalisation.    

Modules for Full-Time Course

Modules for Part-Time Course

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Course Fees

Fees: EU

Fees: Tuition

Fees: Student levy

Fees: Non EU

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