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Module Specifications..

Current Academic Year 2023 - 2024

Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title Philosophical Texts: A Reading Group
Module Code TP603
School 59
Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Joseph Rivera
Semester 2: Joseph Rivera
Autumn: Joseph Rivera
Module TeachersJoseph Rivera
NFQ level 9 Credit Rating 10
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
None
Description

This GTE module aims to introduce students to classic texts and themes in philosophy. As a “reading group,” the module explores a single philosophical text at a time, over a 10-week schedule, with set readings each week. The text under consideration will be selected anew each year and will facilitate conversation for doctoral students about principal themes in philosophy, such as the meaning of language, political theory, narrative philosophy, hermeneutics, ontology, epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of emotion, and so forth. Plato’s Republic or Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations or even early modern texts like Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy or Locke’s Essay on Human Understanding constitute examples of texts the module wishes to read carefully and discuss in a roundtable fashion. All doctoral candidates in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences would be eligible to attend this course for GTE credit.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify and reflect upon the key themes that have shaped the text under consideration by the group.
2. Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of critical philosophical tools and vocabularies present in the text and the text’s legacy. Terms and themes, such as existentialism, being and consciousness, epistemology, mood, emotion, embodiment, will be understood as they advance a particular thinker’s philosophical agenda
3. Become familiar with classic texts and thematic categories in the discipline of philosophy that continue to provide touchstones for contemporary understandings of the humanities.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Seminars20Attendance and discussion of the weekly reading.
Independent Study230Reading the text, preparing presentations, and writing summary reports.
Total Workload: 250

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Philosophical Texts
Each year a new philosophical text shall be selected by the module coordinator. Texts shall range from classics drawn from Aristotle and Plato to contemporary texts published by authors such as Charles Taylor, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and so forth.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
ParticipationThe student must attend 80% of sessions.0%n/a
Report(s)Students must submit brief summaries of the reading every other week.50%n/a
PresentationStudents must lead at least one discussion session of the weekly roundtable.50%n/a
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

    Other Resources

    None
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