PHI-30024 - Module Specification
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

Completion of core modules at level 2 in Philosophy or with the permission of the module convenor.

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

The course will be an in-depth study of Richard Rorty's Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. This book was intended as an historical deconstruction of philosophy itself, and hence is extremely wide-ranging in its content, allowing the students to critically engage with many of the issues they have learnt over the course of their degree, but in a highly critical, metaphilosophical context. As such, it will provide the perfect opportunity for students to consolidate, assess, and apply much of what they have previously learnt. The course will progress through a combination of lectures and tutorials, with plenty of opportunity for group work, allowing students to discuss their ideas, and critically engage with Rorty's ideas, as well as with various interpretations of those ideas.

The aim of this module is to introduce and assess one of the most important texts of contemporary philosophy, Richard Rorty's Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. This text bears on many of the central issues in epistemology, metaphysics, and metaphilosophy; students will learn about contemporary debates in these areas by learning about Rorty's views, and the criticisms that have been made of his views.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Relate the underlying concepts and principles of Rorty¿s pragmatism and metaphilosophy, while evaluating and interpreting them: 1,2
Use the knowledge they acquire to devise and sustain arguments, while developing an awareness of the scope of knowledge in these areas: 1,2
Comprehend and analyse complex philosophical problems: 1,2
Reason about sceptical challenges to philosophical inquiry, and form a critical overall view of the significance of their subject: 1,2
Explain and assess some of the issues and main methods of inquiry at the forefront of contemporary philosophical debate: 1,2

Study hours

15 1-hour lectures, 5 1-hour tutorials, 100 hours essay preparation, and 30 hours private study.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment