Admission requirements
No prerequisites.
Description
Medieval philosophy encompasses approximately 1000 years of philosophical thinking from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century to the Renaissance in the sixteenth century. This course will explore the major philosophical traditions that flourished and dominated the philosophical landscape in the said period in the regions of the Latin West, Roman Byzantine territories, and societies where Islam was dominant. We will concentrate on the major philosophical areas take up in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions.
Course objectives
This course aims to give students an introductory understanding and grasp of central themes, key texts, and major philosophers of the medieval philosophical traditions, namely Arabic, Latin, and Jewish philosophies.
Students who successfully complete the course will have a good understanding of:
the three major philosophical traditions in medieval times, and the main arguments and key concepts that define these traditions;
the key primary texts that dominated and went on to influence centuries of Arabic, Latin, and Jewish philosophical thinking, from the early medieval period right up to the present day; students will also have a good understanding of such topics as metaphysical proofs for and against the existence of God, debates on the nature of evil, the human soul, limits of human knowledge, moral thery and human virtues, the use of logic in philosophical theology, and the nature of philosophy and its relationship to religion.
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
critically analyse primary texts across a range of philosophical topics in medieval philosophy;
formulate philosophical reflectons and articulate well-reasoned positions on the questions covered in the course in writing, and in-class discussions.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA Filosofie website
BA Filosofie, BA1 – BA Plus-traject
BA Filosofie, BA1 – Standaardtraject
Mode of instruction
- Lectures
Class attendance is required.
Course Load
Total course load 5 EC x 28 hours = 140 hours
Attending lectures: (14 weeks x 3 hours): 42 hours
Examination: 6 hours
Time for studying the compulsory literature: 42 hours
Preparation for lectures: 14 hours
Preparation for exams: 36
Assessment method
Mid term written exam with essay questions (50%)
Final written exam with essay questions (50%)
Weekly assignments
You will sit two three-hour exams, one to cover the material studied in the first half of the course, and another at the end of the semester to cover the second half of the material covered in the course. Every exam will contain 5-6 questions, each question will be made up of shorter, sub-sections. All questions are approached as short-essays where students are expected to offer clear argument, philosophical reflections, and evidence that demonstrates knowledge of the main literature.
Each week students will be expected to offer their personal reflections and reactions to the assigned readings. The reflections should not exceed 250 words. While these are not assessed and do not contribute to the final grade, students will, nevertheless, have to submit these weekly reflections on Blackboard. Satisfactory completion of practical assignments is a prerequisite for taking the tests.
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average of the two subtests.
Resit
The resit consists a written exam, covering the entirety of the course material. No separate resits will be offered for the mid-term or final tests. The mark for the resit will replace all previously earned marks for partial results.
Satisfactory completion of practical assignments is a prerequisite for taking the resit.
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
Announcements
Readings
Extra class discussions
Reading list
- A. S. McGrade (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Philosophy (Cambridge, 2003) [CMP]
Most of our readings will draw from primary materials in translation. In our secondary readings, we will draw on the textbook above, which is available gratis online through the University Library website. Readings of primary texts in translation will be handed out the week before class.
Please read the assigned materials before the week they are assigned, and come to class prepared. Guiding questions to the week’s readings will be posted on the Blackboard the week before class.
Registration
Enrolment for courses and examns through uSis is mandatory.
Students are strongly advised to register in uSis through the activity number which can be found in the timetables for courses and exams.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs
Contact
Remarks
Not applicable.