PHI3017 : Contemporary Debates in Ontology and Epistemology
PHI3017 : Contemporary Debates in Ontology and Epistemology
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Stephen Overy
- Lecturer: Dr Michael Lewis, Dr Adam Potts
- 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 | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
Pre Requisite Comment
N/A
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
N/A
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.
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
Students will develop knowledge of contemporary ontological and epistemological debates. They will acquire first-hand knowledge of central texts in contemporary European thought and the impact of those texts on the discipline of philosophy itself.
Intended Skill Outcomes
Through lectures, seminar discussions and independent research students will acquire and develop the following skills:
- Critical hermeneutical engagement with philosophical texts
- The use of phenomenological terminology in philosophical argument
- A reflective awareness of the role of their own subjective lived experience in the development of objective philosophical argument.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Essay preparation and completion |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | N/A |
| 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.
Reading Lists
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.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PHI3017's Timetable
Past Exam Papers
- Exam Papers Online : www.ncl.ac.uk/exam.papers/
- PHI3017's past Exam Papers
General Notes
N/A
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Disclaimer
The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2024 academic year.
In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described.
Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Module information for the 2025/26 entry will be published here in early-April 2025. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.