Course Co-ordinator: Dr R Plant

Pre-requisite(s): None.

Note(s): This course will be available in 2012/13 as PH 302M / PH 402M.

This course will explore the most difficult and important philosophical question: 'What is philosophy?' Given that philosophy is a deeply self-reflective discipline, its own nature and limits are of fundamental importance. Indeed, it can be argued that metaphilosophy is not simply one branch or sub-discipline of philosophy, but rather, all philosophy is (explicitly or otherwise) metaphilosophy. The sorts of questions examined on this course include: Are we natural-born philosophers? What is the relationship between philosophy and its history? Is philosophical disagreement of a particularly worrying sort? Is the biography of philosophers philosophically important? What might it mean to say that philosophy begins in wonder? Does philosophy have to be adversarial?

Level 3: 1 one and a half hour lecture and 1 one and a half hour tutorial per week

Level 4: 1 one and a half hour lecture and 1 one and a half hour student-led seminar per week.
(Thus, each student will have 3 contact hours per week.) Tutorials/seminars begin in week 2.

1st Attempt: Level 3; one 2,500 word essay (50%) and 1 two-hour exam (50%).

1st Attempt: Level 4; one 3,500 word essay (50%), 1 two-hour exam (40%) and a seminar presentation (10%).

Resit: Level 3; 1 two-hour written exam (100%). In line with School Policy, students cannot pass the course on the first attempt if a component piece of assessed work is submitted and marked 0-5. The student must then take the resit in order to pass the course. Failure to submit a component piece of assessed work, or submitting a token piece, will result in the withdrawal of the class certificate.

Resit: Level 4; There is no resit for year 4 students.