University of Essex

PY455-6-SU-CO:
Philosophy Capstone Module

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Philosophy

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Summer

Level: Undergraduate: Level 6

Status: Current

Start date: Monday 22 April 2024

End date: Friday 28 June 2024

Credits: 30

Last updated: 09 March 2023

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

DIPLV50009 Philosophy,
BA V530 Continental Philosophy,
BA V531 Continental Philosophy (Including Foundation Year),
BA V532 Continental Philosophy (Including Placement Year),
BA V533 Continental Philosophy (Including Year Abroad),
BA V500 Philosophy,
BA V501 Philosophy (Including Year Abroad),
BA V502 Philosophy (Including Foundation Year),
BA V503 Philosophy (including Placement Year),
BA V508 Philosophy (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
MPHIV599 Philosophy,
MPHIVA98 Philosophy (Including Placement Year),
MPHIVA99 Philosophy (Including Year Abroad),
BA VV15 Philosophy and History,
BA VV16 Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year),
BA VV51 Philosophy and History (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV5C Philosophy and History (Including Year Abroad),
BA VV5X Philosophy and History (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA MVC5 Philosophy and Law,
BA MVC6 Philosophy and Law (Including Placement Year),
BA MVC8 Philosophy and Law (Including Foundation Year),
BA VM51 Philosophy and Law (Including Year Abroad),
BA VM58 Philosophy and Law (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA QV25 Philosophy and Literature,
BA QV26 Philosophy and Literature (Including Placement Year),
BA VQ52 Philosophy and Literature (Including Foundation Year),
BA VQ58 Philosophy and Literature (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA VQ5F Philosophy and Literature (Including Year Abroad),
BA LV25 Philosophy and Politics,
BA LV26 Philosophy and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA LV2H Philosophy and Politics (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA LV2M Philosophy and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA LV8M Philosophy and Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA LV35 Philosophy and Sociology,
BA LV36 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA LV83 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA VL53 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA VL58 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA V5M8 Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA V5M9 Philosophy with Human Rights,
BA V5MX Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA V6M9 Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA VLM8 Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA VV56 Philosophy, Religion and Ethics,
BA VV57 Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (Including Placement Year),
BA VV58 Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV59 Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA VV5P Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (Including Year Abroad),
BA VV20 Philosophy with Business Management,
BA VV21 Philosophy with Business Management (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV22 Philosophy with Business Management (Including Placement Year),
BA VV23 Philosophy with Business Management (Including Year Abroad),
BA V5L5 Philosophy, Ethics and Sustainability,
BA V5L6 Philosophy, Ethics and Sustainability (Including Foundation Year),
BA V5L7 Philosophy, Ethics and Sustainability (Including Placement Year),
BA V5L8 Philosophy, Ethics and Sustainability (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

This is an intensive final-year module running over five weeks during the summer term. It is the default capstone project for all Philosophy students and involves a guided and structured approach to support students in completing a research project of their own. It will be co-taught on a particular theme that will vary from year to year.

The theme for Summer Term 2022 will be Challenges to Human Flourishing. Students will be introduced to two major research traditions in Philosophy that bear on this theme: (1) Critical Theory and (2) Phenomenology (applied and critical). They will be split into two groups, which will be taught about these two respective traditions in alternating weeks.
For Critical Theory, the focus will be on the Frankfurt School and its account of the obstacles we face to human flourishing due to living in a particular kind of society – “late capitalism”. The starting point will be Horkheimer’s seminal text ‘Traditional and Critical Theory’ and students will then investigate and apply some of this research tradition’s key concepts (such as the notion of social pathology) and methodologies (such as normative reconstruction or disclosing critique).
For Phenomenology (applied and critical), we will focus on recent work that brings the resources of the phenomenological tradition to bear on the experiences of illness, everyday suffering, mental disorders, and solitary confinement. We will delve into the nature and motivations of the phenomenological method, we will discuss what it means to practice ‘applied’ or ‘critical’ phenomenology, and we will use the tools these methods afford to analyse diverse forms of human suffering.

Module aims

The aim of the module is to provide students with a guided and structured approach to support them in completing a research project of their own.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module students will have:

1. developed relevant research skills, such as independence of thought, the capacity to organise and structure a project report, the ability to explore the secondary literature on a particular topic in a more autonomous way, and to develop their own ideas and arguments in pursuing a self-defined project;
2. deepened their knowledge in the area relevant to the topic they have selected;
3. developed transferable skills such as time management and communication skills.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

This is an intensively taught module held over the first five weeks of the summer term.

Bibliography*

Steven Crowell (2002) ‘Is There a Phenomenological Research Program?’, Synthese, 131(3), pp. 419–444. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20117261.
Svenaeus, F. (2019) ‘A Defense of the Phenomenological Account of Health and Illness’, The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine, 44(4), pp. 459–478. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jhz013.
Toombs, S.K. (1987) ‘The Meaning of Illness: A Phenomenological Approach to the Patient-Physician Relationship’, Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 12(3), pp. 219–240. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/12.3.219.
Sebo, J. (2015) ‘Multiplicity, self-narrative, and akrasia’, Philosophical Psychology, 28(4), pp. 589–605. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2013.827567.
Giommi, F. et al. (2023) ‘The (In)flexible self: Psychopathology, mindfulness, and neuroscience’, International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 23(4). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100381.
Sartre, J.-P. (2017) Existentialism Is a Humanism. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. Available at: https://www-jstor-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/stable/10.2307/j.ctv15vwkgx.
Fanon, F., Markmann, C.L. and Gilroy, P. (2017) Black skin, white masks. London: Pluto Press. Available at: https://search-ebscohost-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1519421&site=ehost-live&authtype=sso&custid=s9814295.
Carel, H. (2016) Phenomenology of illness. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/book/8662?login=true.
Burch, M., Marsh, J. and McMullin, I. (eds) (2019) Normativity, meaning, and the promise of phenomenology. New York, NY: Routledge. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.4324/9781351064422.
Heidegger, M., Stambaugh, J. and Schmidt, D.J. (2010) Being and time. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Carr, D. (2022) ‘Phenomenology as Critical Method: Experience and Practice’, in Phenomenology as Critique: Why Method Matters. Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.4324/9781003191483.
Heidegger, M. (1992) ‘Emergence and Initial Breakthrough of Phenomenological Research’, in History of the Concept of Time: Prolegomena. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, pp. 13–26.
Simone de, B. (2005) ‘“Existentialism and Popular Wisdom (1945)” in Philosophical Writings pp. 195-220’, in M.A.S. Mary Beth Mader (ed.). University of Illinois Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/reader.action?docID=3414464&ppg=210.

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	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Online quizzes	25%
Coursework	Plan for Research Project (700 words)	25%
Coursework	Final Research Project Report (2500 words)	50%

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

Supervisor: Dr Ellisif Wasmuth, email: ellisif.wasmuth@essex.ac.uk.
Mr Daniel Watts, email: dwattsa@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff:

Contact details: phiquery@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: No

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

Name: Dr Josiah Saunders

Institution: Durham University

Academic role: Associate Professor

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording:* Of 228 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
228 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

Further information

Department website: Philosophy

* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.

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Module Directory

PY455-6-SU-CO:Philosophy Capstone Module