PHI3017 : Contemporary Debates in Ontology and Epistemology
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Available for Study Abroad and Exchange students, subject to proof of pre-requisite knowledge.
- Module Leader(s): Dr Stephen Overy
- Lecturer: Dr Adam Potts, Dr Michael Lewis
- Owning School: School X
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module aims to introduce students to principal themes and debates in contemporary ontology and epistemology.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module provides students with a critical-historical approach to debates in contemporary ontology and epistemology, from 1945 to the present day.
Key thinkers may include (amongst others) Deleuze, Baudrillard, Blanchot, Levinas, Derrida, Lyotard, Badiou, Agamben.
Key questions and themes may include:
- Deleuze, Lyotard, and ‘philosophies of desire’
- Simulacra and Simulation
- Epistemologies of AI and the blockchain
- Destruction, deconstruction and the relation to the philosophical tradition
- Ethics and the place of the Other
- Contemporary phenomenology and post-phenomenology and other philosophies which adopt a critical relation to phenomenology.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Essay preparation and completion |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Specific research or reading activities developed and directed by academic staff |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | Tutorials |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 52:00 | 52:00 | Review lecture material, prepare for small group teaching and assessment |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures provide students with a systematic account of the concepts and ideas of the traditions under discussion and their relation to key aspects of philosophy, e.g., ontology or metaphysics. Students are given a structured reading list, a set of lecture notes with seminar questions, supported by references to secondary works in order to develop the interpretative, logical and analytical skills required for good argument.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2 | A | 100 | 2000 word essay |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Students will be assessed by a 2000-word essay and will be able to choose from a range of essay questions. The essays test the ability to think analytically, creatively, self-critically and independently as well as managing one’s own work to set time limits. This assessment method also gauges students’ ability to move between generalisation and appropriately detailed discussion, to cite relevant texts and interpret them adequately, to discover examples in support of or to challenge a position, and to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant considerations.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PHI3017's Timetable