Early Modern Philosophy Course Descriptor

Course Overview

The course introduces students to developments in European philosophy in the 17th and 18th centuries. This was a period of profound change and innovation that is crucial to the subsequent development of European philosophy. It examines these developments in relation to their wider context, and considers a variety of approaches to this period informed by the latest scholarly research. The course achieves this through careful study and interrogation of a range of primary texts, supported by secondary material. In doing so, the course models a dynamic debate bringing in a variety of diverse voices.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Interactive lectures/seminars

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

• Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

• Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups. 

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE

Summative Assessments

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Conway, A., The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy, ed. A. P. Coudert and T. Corse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
• Descartes, R., Philosophical Writings, ed. J. Cottingham et al., vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.
• Elisabeth of Bohemia and R. Descartes, The Correspondence Between Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia and René Descartes, ed. and trans. L. Shapiro. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2007.
• Du Châtelet, É., Selected Philosophical and Scientific Writings, ed. J. Zinsser. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2009.
• Leibniz, G. W., Philosophical Essays, trans. R. Ariew and D. Garber. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1989.

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the list of indicative topics provided below is used as a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

Some (but not all) of the following topics might be studied:

• Scepticism
• Dualism
• God
• Nature
• Science
• The self
• Freedom
• Happiness