PY500-7-AU-CO:
Kant's Revolution in Philosophy

The details
2024/25
Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 13 December 2024
20
15 March 2024

 

Requisites for this module
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(none)
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(none)

 

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Key module for

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Module description

This module covers Kant`s epistemology as developed in his Critique of Pure Reason. This is a pivotal text in philosophy. The module concentrates primarily on the Transcendental Aesthetic and the Transcendental Analytic. Particular attention will be given to the formal status of Kant`s epistemology and the assessment of whether this counts as a weakness or a strength.


Students will develop an understanding of the details of Kant`s position in the Critique; a critical grasp of the central arguments of Kant`s position; and an appreciation of the central significance that position has in the history of philosophy. This will be achieved through developing a close familiarity with the text and with relevant secondary literature.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • A good understanding of the major arguments of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, especially those concerning the nature of space and time, as well as the status and function of the basic conceptual categories of our thought and experience.

  • A good understanding of Kant’s innovations in method, and in particular the procedure of ‘transcendental deduction’; and the role of imagination within Kant’s account of knowledge.

  • A good understanding of the thrust of Kant’s critique of traditional metaphysics.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to have a good understanding of:



  1. Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, especially those concerning the nature of space, the status and function of the basic categories of our thought and experience, and the contradictions into which reasoning falls when it is divorced from experience.

  2. Kant’s innovations in method, and in particular the procedure of ‘transcendental deduction’.

  3. The thrust of Kant’s critique of traditional metaphysics.


Skills for your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)


By the end of this module, students should also have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:



  1. Define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant.

  2. Seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information.

  3. Process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments.

  4. Compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure.

  5. Write a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications.

  6. Be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them.

  7. Think 'laterally' and creatively - see interesting connections and possibilities and present these clearly rather than as vague hunches.

  8. Maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position if shown wrong.

  9. Think critically and constructively.

Module information

Erasmus/IP students must have already taken two philosophy modules at their home institutions.


Kant`s epistemological position was a response to the problems of both rationalism and empiricism, and resulted in a radical and lasting change to the shape of our philosophical map. An understanding of Kant`s position and of this text is foundational for any student of modern philosophy (in both the continental and the analytical traditions).

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • One 2-hour seminar per week.

There is a Reading Week with no seminars.

Discussion will be encouraged throughout.

Bibliography

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Essay (4000 words)  16/01/2025  100% 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Fiona Hughes, email: fhughes@essex.ac.uk.
PHAIS Postgraduate Queries: phaispg@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
Yes
Yes

External examiner

Dr Alexander Golob
King's College London
Senior Lecturer
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 3 hours, 3 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 


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