PY4649 Core Works in Continental Philosophy

Academic year

2025 to 2026 Semester 1

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable

To be confirmed.

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Dr G W B Pedriali

Dr G W B Pedriali
This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr W Pedriali

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

The module provides an introduction to phenomenology and existentialist philosophy. We shall first examine four classic works in this tradition, namely, Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, Heidegger’s Being and Time, Sartre’s Being and Nothingness, and Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception. We shall then explore the enduring influence of existentialism on post-colonial thinking, by focusing on two prominent Black philosophers, Lewis R. Gordon and Achille Mbembe, who have challenged and reshaped our understanding of existentialist philosophy and phenomenology. The topics to be discussed in the module include existentialist ethics, truth and normativity, perception, consciousness, and, last but not least, the distinctive account of the meaning of life given by existentialist philosophers.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS PY1012

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

Coursework = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 x 2-hour lecture, 1 x 1-hour seminar

Scheduled learning hours

55

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

256

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Engage with some of the main themes of modern European philosophy in the existentialist tradition
  • Critically evaluate central issues raised in philosophical theories of perception, consciousness, normativity, and value
  • Present in a clear, analytical way topics and texts that are often formulated without sufficient clarity
  • Consolidate further their ability to work together in seminars and lectures