BASS Sociology and Philosophy

The unit introduces students to studying philosophy. It does this in two interconnected ways. Accordingly, there are two interconnected threads running through the unit. The first thread involves philosophical content (e.g. short lectures presenting key ideas and arguments for discussion). The focus of this first thread is engaging with theoretical perspectives on the nature of philosophy, philosophy of education, and engaging with a range of topics outside those likely encountered during previous study or elsewhere in the Level 4 syllabus, that help students develop an understanding of the scope and nature of philosophy are university level.  The second thread involves taught skills sessions (workshops with practical activities and guidance). The focus of this second thread is to familiarize students with the skills and methods needed to flourish as a philosophy student, and the chance to practice those skills in a supervised environment.

The unit aims to:  help students develop a holistic understanding of the discipline of philosophy, and some core skills and methods that are foundational for studying philosophy at university.

Teaching will take the form of (1) weekly two-hour lectures, and (2) weekly one-hour workshops. 

(1) These lectures will involve only a small element of traditional lecturing and will involve large components of class discussion, preparation for the workshops, and pair work. 

(2) These workshops will be dedicated to group work using prepared worksheets. They will be run by TAs. 

The unit will be supported by a Blackboard site (or replacement VLE) in the usual way.

-Recognise and summarise key philosophical positions and arguments 

-Articulate views about the nature of philosophy 

-Explain the relation between philosophy and the 'real world' 

-Identify, compare and criticise key philosophical positions and arguments. 

-Articulate and defend their own philosophical views and arguments. 

-Read, understand, and criticise philosophical texts.

-Improve written work in response to feedback. 

-Effectively plan their studies. 

-Reflect and improve on their own practice. 

The following reading list is indicative, and students are not required to read all of the publications listed.

-Overgaard, S., Gilbert, P., & Burwood, S. (2013). Philosophy, Science and the Humanities. In An Introduction to Metaphilosophy (Cambridge Introductions to Philosophy, pp. 45-69). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139018043.004 

-Odera Oruka, H. (2003). Four Trends in Current African Philosophy, In The African Philosophy Reader, edited by P. H. Coetzee, and A. P. J. Roux. Taylor & Francis Group, 2003. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.manchester.idm.oclc.org/lib/manchester/detail.action?docID=182963.

-Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the Oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). Continuum. 

-Saunders, C., Mossley, D., MacDonald Ross, G. & Lamb, D. (2013). Doing Philosophy: A Practical Guide for Students (2nd edition). Bloomsbury. 

-Descartes. R, Mediations on First Philosophy (Mediations 1 , and 2, and 6) 

-Descartes, R. and Princess Elisabeth. 2017 (Selected correspondence (first 5 letters) in Jonathan Bennett ed. www.earlymoderntexts.com 

-Amo, A. 1968. "On the Apatheia of the Human Mind" in Antonius Guitielmus, Amo Afer of Axim in Ghana: Student, Doctor Of Philosophy, master and lecturer at the universities of Halle, Wittenberg, Jena, 1727-1747: translation of his works (ed. Dorothea Siegmund-Schultze), Halle: Martin Luther University Halle- Wittenberg, pp.66-76. 

-De Smedt, J. & De Cruz, H. (2011). The Cognitive Appeal of the Cosmological Argument. Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 23 (2):103–122. 

-Clack, B. (2013). Feminism and the Problem of Evil. In The Blackwell Companion to the Problem of Evil, edited by J. P. McBrayer, and D. Howard-Snyder. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2013. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.manchester.idm.oclc.org/lib/manchester/detail.action?docID=1598000.

-Kiper, J., Stich, S., Barrett, H. & Machery, E. (2021). 'Experimental Philosophy'. In I. Koskinen, D. Ludwig, Z. Mncube, L. Poliseli & L. Reyes-Galindo (eds.), Global Epistemologies and Philosophies of Science. Routledge. 

-Hardimon, M. O. Is Racism Essentially Systemic?. American Philosophical Quarterly 1 October 2023; 60 (4): 369–380. doi: https://doi-org.manchester.idm.oclc.org/10.5406/21521123.60.4.05

-Moody-Adams, M. (2005). Racism. In A Companion to Applied Ethics (eds R.G. Frey and C. Heath Wellman). https://doi-org.manchester.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/9780470996621.ch7