Module: Philosophical Texts: A Reading Group

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

All Module information is indicative, and this portal is an interim interface pending the full upgrade of Coursebuilder and subsequent integration to the new DCU Student Information System (DCU Key).

As such, this is a point in time view of data which will be refreshed periodically. Some fields/data may not yet be available pending the completion of the full Coursebuilder upgrade and integration project. We will post status updates as they become available. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Philosophical Texts: A Reading Group
Module Code	TP603 (ITS) / PHE1035 (Banner)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Theology, Philosophy & Music
Module Co-ordinator	-
Module Teachers	-
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	10
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

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.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Seminars	20	Attendance and discussion of the weekly reading.
Independent Study	230	Reading 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 Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Participation	The 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
Presentation	Students 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: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Other Resources

None