MA Degree Programme


25


Level 3 Spinoza and Free Will*


In this course we will discuss one of the most controversial works in the history of philosophy: Spinoza's Ethics. We will discover why Spinoza affirms freedom while rejecting the possibility of free will, and why he has been considered both the most interesting and the most dangerous philosopher in the history of European thought.


Question of Vision in Art and Philosophy*


What is the relation of an art work to reality? Can careful attention to an art work increase our understanding - of ourselves or our world? How does the understanding we gain by looking differ from the understanding we gain via analysis and theoretical explanation? This course addresses these topics through a critical engagement with two important twentieth-century German philosophers, Heidegger and Gadamer.


Philosophy of Mind


How can we understand the experience and attitudes expressed in a scream? Can theory give a complete understanding? If not, what else is needed, and why does it elude theory? This is the kind of question we will be thinking about on this course, which introduces students to central themes in Contemporary Philosophy of Mind.


The Philosophy of the Sublime*


Erupting volcanoes, boundless seas, towering mountain peaks: why do such ‘sublime’ sights fascinate and move us? Why do we find it so hard to turn away from things that disturb or even horrify us – natural disasters, the violence of war? This course explores philosophical answers to these questions in relation to issues of identity, gender, race, the ethical, and the political.


Logic and Paradox


By taking this course, students will appreciate the philosophical reasons for employing formal logic. Students will gain an understanding of elementary formal logic, as well as of problems concerning the expression of natural language and thought in formal languages. The module also explores the significance of developments beyond elementary formal logic.


Foucault: Power and Knowledge


This module introduces the work of a twentieth- century philosopher who has been influential in history, politics, sociology and literature: Michel Foucault. We will examine Foucault’s influential conception of power and discuss the notions that are intimately tied to it: subject, knowledge, violence and truth. The module explores the different ways that power relations influence the production of knowledge and assesses the epistemological and ontological commitments that underlie Foucault’s genealogical histories. We will consider the political implications of Foucault’s thought and apply it to current social issues.


Level 4 Deleuze*


This course introduces one of the most important and exciting thinkers of the twentieth century: Gilles Deleuze. Students will explore his revolutionary work on difference and repetition through a case study in a field of their choice, for example, in literature, art, politics, philosophy or history.


Thinking Film*


This module explores the many ways in which philosophy and film can form a productive relationship. We begin by looking at how philosophical topics such as time, reality and appearance, or personal identity can be investigated through recent 'high-concept' films such as The Matrix, Memento, or Gattaca. We go on to examine philosophical theories of film, and conclude by asking how film-art can make us think: in other words, can film philosophise?


Understanding, Dialogue and Interpretation*


What is involved in the act of interpreting a text or an art work? How does interpretation differ from analysis and explanation? This course will approach these and related questions via a sustained enquiry into such modern hermeneutic thinkers as Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, Habermas and Iser.


Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason


Kant’s Critique of Pure Reasonis one of the most important works of Western philosophy. The spur came from what Kant thought to be the degenerate state into which metaphysics had fallen. However, in the course of resolving the bitter philosophical disputes of his own age, Kant paves the way for at least the next two hundred years of philosophical activity, above all by elaborating the central notion of critique and the transcendental approach to philosophy. On this module, we will explore these key aspects of Kant’s thought and their implications for philosophy, alongside Kant’s radically new account of the human subject.


Wittgenstein


Ludwig Wittgenstein was one of the most influential twentieth-century philosophers, with both ‘analytic’ and ‘continental’ philosophers being extensively and deeply influenced by his thought. His two most influential works, the Tractatus, and the Philosophical Investigations, transformed philosophy of language. This module focuses on these two works, seeing how Wittgenstein’s deep commitment to ethics and thought emerges from his writing. We will also look at other texts to see Wittgenstein’s influence beyond philosophy in literature, film and social science.


Graduate Profile


Graduates from our Department – whether studying for single or joint Honours – go on to a wide range of careers, including publishing, the civil service, social work, teaching, the performing arts, and the police.


After completing her degree with us in 2003, Kate Crawford worked in retail management before taking up a post as a banking adviser with Halifax Bank of Scotland. Kate graduated


with a 2:1 single Honours degree in Philosophy with German. She would encourage other students to take advantage of the unusual opportunity offered at Dundee to study a foreign language alongside single Honours in Philosophy.


Blair Ogden graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Philosophy and English in 2003. Since then, he has successfully completed his postgraduate Masters degree in Continental


Philosophy at the University of Warwick, and has published in the Observer newspaper. He is currently preparing to go on to study for a PhD. Of his time at Dundee, Blair says: “Whether I was translating ideas or finding inspiration in the crossover between Philosophy and English, I always felt happiest at Dundee when I was working between disciplines. I want to try and test philosophy outside of its boundaries and dispel the myth of the unworldly philosopher.”


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