PHI3005 : Knowledge, Power and Desire (Inactive)
PHI3005 : Knowledge, Power and Desire (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Lorenzo Chiesa
- Lecturer: Dr Stephen Overy
- Owning School: School X
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
European Credit Transfer System | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
Pre Requisite Comment
N/A
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
N/A
Aims
This module introduces students to influential Enlightenment and/or post-Enlightenment conceptions of ‘knowledge,’ in particular to the relation between these conceptions and scientific rationality, and to their persistence in contemporary tacit assumptions about what it is to ‘know.’ By means of a critical examination of philosophical accounts of the interconnection between forms of knowledge and networks of power and desire, and of the critical methodology most appropriate to this interconnection, students are enabled to analyse and to challenge the ways in which the human and natural sciences have operated, and continue to operate, in shifting historical configurations.
Outline Of Syllabus
1) Enlightenment, post-Enlightenment
2) Knowledge, Reason, Scientificity
3) Power
4) Desire
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
Students will:
• acquire an understanding of different paradigms of ‘ knowledge,’ their relation to scientific rationality and their implications for methods of critical analysis;
• develop a critical understanding of the philosophical foundations for, and nature of, historico-philosophical critique;
• learn to apply distinct philosophical approaches to the analysis of contemporary sciences as modes of categorizing and disseminating knowledge
Intended Skill Outcomes
Students will:
• be able to distinguish and articulate different Enlightenment and/or post-Enlightenment paradigms of knowledge and their relation to scientific rationality;
• be able to identify, justify and employ different historico-philosophical methods;
• have developed skills in the analysis of contemporary scientific categories and practices of knowledge.”
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | N/A |
Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 40:00 | 40:00 | Essay preparation and completion |
Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Specific research or reading activities developed and directed by academic staff |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Tutorials |
Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 100:00 | 100:00 | Review lecture material, prepare for small group teaching and assessment |
Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures introduce students to: key concepts and methods relevant to the interconnection of knowledge, power, and desire; the implications of this interconnection for influential paradigms of knowledge; an analysis of the nature and dominance of scientific rationality. The seminar format facilitates students’ exposure to the historico-philosophical methods of analysis at work, and begins the students’ development of skills in the identification and application of these methods. Reading and reflection on the course texts takes place during private study hours.
Reading Lists
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essay | 1 | A | 50 | 2000 word essay |
Essay | 2 | A | 50 | 2000 word essay |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The essays test the ability to think creatively, self-critically and independently as well as managing one’s own work to set time limits. This assessment method also gauges the students’ ability to move between generalisation and appropriately detailed discussion, to cite relevant texts and interpret them adequately, to discover examples in support of or to challenge a position, and to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant considerations.
Students are assessed on their ability to clearly articulate the nature of the historico-philosophical methods introduced on the course, and on their capacity to submit those methods to a critical discussion that takes account both of their philosophical commitments and of their concrete application to contemporary scientific categories and practices of knowledge.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PHI3005's Timetable
Past Exam Papers
- Exam Papers Online : www.ncl.ac.uk/exam.papers/
- PHI3005's past Exam Papers
General Notes
Original Handbook text:
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Disclaimer
The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2024 academic year.
In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described.
Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Module information for the 2025/26 entry will be published here in early-April 2025. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.