MA Political Science - Philosophy and Political Theory

Analytic philosophy was (arguably) born at the beginning of the 20^th Century, with Bertrand Russell and G.E. Moore rejecting the idealism of Kant and Hegel and focussing instead on the close analysis of language. Since then, analytic philosophy has seen many phases and movements – from logical positivism, focussed in Vienna in the 1920s and 30s, through the ordinary language philosophy that flourished between the mid-1940s and the 1960s, to the expansion of analytic philosophy to cover the vast array of topics and issues we see today. This course takes a tour through some of the central texts and authors, such as Russell, Carnap and the Vienna Circle, Quine, Davidson and Lewis.

This course unit aims to exploit the breadth and depth of research expertise in the Philosophy DA in the history of analytic philosophy, by offering students a programme of study that is genuinely research-led and which connects with areas of staff members’ ongoing research. The course unit aims to introduce students to some central figures and classic texts in 20^th-Century analytic philosophy, and to develop their ability to interpret those texts in the light of the historical context within which they were written.

On successful completion of this course unit, students will be able to:

• Understand and contextualise some key views and arguments of the philosophers and texts studied.
• Develop their own critical responses to the texts discussed.
• Present a sustained well-informed and well-organised argument on one of the topics covered.
• Engage with one another in philosophical discussions a critical yet respectful manner.

Teaching will take place in weekly two-hour seminars. Students will be assigned reading and preparatory questions for each seminar. Every two-hour session will consist of group-based discussion of the readings set, together with some contextualising from the seminar leader wherever appropriate. Meetings will normally start with a short student presentation, which summarises the assigned reading and raises questions for further discussion.

Students will also have the opportunity to discuss their private reading and writing assignments one-to-one with the tutor.

3000 word essay - 100%

Feedback will be available via Turnitin

S. P. Schwartz, A Brief History of Analytic Philosophy: From Russell to Rawls (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012)