ATS2262 · Philosophical traditions

Overview

Contemporary philosophy encompasses several distinct traditions. This unit may cover some of the well-known traditions and figures in Western thought, such as Descartes and Cartesianism, Spinozism, or Kant; or it may cover topics and figures in the Indian, Continental, or early analytic philosophical traditions, such as Buddha, Sankara, Nietzsche, or Wittgenstein. Recently, these important traditions and figures have begun to attract attention as sources for new approaches to contemporary issues. This unit seeks to use these traditions to address fundamental questions across the discipline, such as: can we ever have certainty about anything? What is the self? What is the nature of the mind-body relationship? Is enlightenment or liberation a coherent ideal? Can humans achieve liberation? It may also cover the topics of sensuous experience and alienation, and theories of meaning and understanding.

Areas of study: Philosophy

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Examine and evaluate core philosophical ideas and arguments within a tradition;
2. Read and analyse a key philosophical text as part of a tradition;
3. Use past philosophical approaches to reflect on enduring questions and issues in the discipline;
4. Apply sophisticated argumentative skills in both written and oral formats.

Workload

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.