Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
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Description This module invites students to examine key philosophical ideas and debates in the history of thought. This builds on engagement in 1st year with philosophical approaches to childhood, to examine influential and distinctive approaches to theorising the human condition. The issues explored offer distinctive ways to thinking about the self in/and society. The module is orientated around a set of questions pertinent to the study of human development, including but not limited to: a) what is free will and how is it distinct from freedom & liberty, b) what is the basis of personal identity and what importance should be afforded to identity, c) what importance do stories have in human experience and is it possible to live outside of narrative, d) what is the importance of recognition (by self and others) for selfhood and agency. Paradigmatic theorists from philosophy will be critically explored with students at an advanced level and with close readings of primary texts. Notably, the module seeks to identify conceptual and ethical issues associated with how the self is theorised which are often overlooked in professional contexts (law, medicine and education). Secondary literature will be incorporated with a specific aim of a more diverse and inclusive set of authors/commentators. Students are expected to develop their understanding of significant philosophical issues in the history of thought that have influenced the intellectual and political development of Western Thought, to critically evaluate and compare different philosophical approaches, and to develop their ability to engage in philosophical argument and writing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Define and critically discuss how different philosophical themes in the history of philosophy offer alternative understandings of the self. 2. Understand, analyse and evaluate rival approaches in the areas of personal identity, free will, recognition and epistemic injustice 3. Appreciate and interrogate some of the philosophical underpinnings and challenges of contemporary discourse in disciplines of law, medicine and/or education. 4. Distinguish and analyse narrative approaches to identity and selfhood, demonstrating understanding of the importance afforded to others, institutions and time 5. Examine and defend a position, informed by exposition or explanation of key theorists on this course (Ricoeur, Schechtman, LIndemann, Nussbaum, Fricker, Locke, etc.) with reference to the contemporary world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles:
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Other Resources None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||