PHIL20590 Irish Enlightenment

Academic Year 2019/2020

This module offers a survey of key philosophers and ideas generated in Enlightenment Ireland (from the 1690s to the 1790s). In the span of three generations Dublin changed from being a small, colonial garrison city into one of largest and most dynamic cities in Europe. It was during this period that Dublin fostered a number of philosophers whose thinking is still considered important today by intellectuals of varied interests. These philosophers include the free-thinker John Toland, whose 1696 book, Christianity Not Mysterious led to him being sentenced to being burned at the stake by a Grand Jury in London (he escaped); Jonathan Swift famous for his satires and Gullivers Travels; Bishop Berkeley, Francis Hutcheson who is claimed as the founder of the Scottish Enlightenment (but who wrote most of his work in Dublin); Edmund Burke claimed as the founder of British and American Conservatism and Mary Wollstonecraft, commonly regarded as the first modern British feminist philosopher.

This module focuses on how we might best understand the work of these writers and the interpretive method that is offered is to review the work of these thinkers within the contexts of the particular political, social, cultural and economic conditions in which they produced their work. Besides focusing on understanding the particular external contexts which might be seen to inspire and inform the thinkers, this module also offers students instructions on how to develop skills to successfully conduct close readings of philosophical texts.

Besides lectures and tutorials, students will also have the option of completing assessment by participating on field trips, that is tours of key sites relevant to the philosophers of late seventeenth and early eighteenth century Dublin.

If you are taking this module as an elective - you may be interested in pursuing a Structured Elective programme in Philosophy (this will entail taking two more Philosophy electives). Your transcript will show that you have a Structured Elective in the History of Philosophy. See: https://www.ucd.ie/students/electives/structuredelectives.html

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete this module should be able to:
• REFLECT critically upon debates by philosophers in Ireland in the 18th century and the philosophical problems that continue to influence present-day philosophical debates;
• IDENTITFY key philosophical concepts and show awareness of potential problems that led to the revision and refinement of these concepts in the historical debates;
• INTERPRET philosophical texts that were written in the 18th century within the context of their production;
• WRITE well-structured and well-argued essays that explain and critically assess philosophical views covered in this module;
• ARTICULATE their own responses to philosophical views, support them by reasons and defend them in light of criticism;

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Tutorial

8
Field Trip/External Visits

6
Specified Learning Activities

52
Autonomous Student Learning

30
Total

120
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Besides lectures and tutorials students will have the option to participate on field trips to visit sites relevant to the philosophers of late 17th and 18th Century Dublin. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Fieldwork: Walking Tour of late 17th/early 18th C Dublin Week 2 n/a Graded No

0
Attendance: Participation in Tutorials Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

10
Fieldwork: Walking Tour of mid to late 18th C Dublin Week 8 n/a Graded No

0
Assignment: Critical interpretation of selected passages 800 words Week 10 n/a Graded No

30
Assignment: Students have a choice of going on two field trips (5% awarded for participation on the field trips) or writing a critical interpretation of selected passages 800 words Varies over the Trimester n/a Graded No

10
Essay: Research Paper 2,000 words Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

50

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students are introduced to a detailed marking rubric and feedback is given on a form that relates directly to the marking rubric and also allows for more general comments.