Detailed Information
This course focuses on four classic problems of philosophy: (1) free will and determinism; (2) personal identity; (3) scepticism; (4) consciousness. As with all philosophy, the task is for students to work out their own structures of argument in response to the arguments in the philosophical literature. Selected weekly readings will be made available on Blackboard during the semester. A good guide for writing essays and learning to think philosophically is the following: Jay F. Rosenberg, The Practice of Philosophy: A Handbook for Beginners, 3rd ed. (Prentice-Hall, 1996), in UCD library. The style of the lectures will be highly interactive, with students expected to do some thinking during the lecture periods. The course will be assessed mainly with weekly online assignments, though tutorial attendance will be assessed, and there is a final exam.
Semester 1
Level 1
Lectures: Thursdays, 13:00 - 14:00 and Fridays, 14:00 - 15:00, beginning September 13
Tutorials: To be selected
If you are taking this module for credit, please take note of the dates below:
Term dates for revision: Saturday, 1 December - Sunday, 9 December
Term dates for exams: Monday, 10 December - Friday, 21 December
Open Learning Fee (audit only) €350 per module
Open Learning Fee (with assessment) €500 per 5 credit module
Upgrading from audit to credit: You may upgrade from being an audit student to a credit student up to three weeks into term. Please note, however, that you can't change back to being an audit student - if you decide not to complete the assignments and/or sit the exams, this will appear on your academic record.
Concessions
There are no concessions available for Open Learning modules.
Refunds
Refunds may in some instances be available for extenuating circumstances, such as serious illness, within two weeks of the start of the module. Requests for refunds must be submitted in writing, with supporting documents where appropriate.
Professor Rowland Stout