PHI3020 : Philosophy and Psychoanalysis
PHI3020 : Philosophy and Psychoanalysis
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Lorenzo Chiesa
- 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 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| 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 the way in which psychoanalysis as a theory and praxis of the unconscious has profoundly influenced modern and contemporary philosophy as well as the human and social sciences at large. It will explore psychoanalytic approaches to notions such as desire, power, knowledge, truth, love, and identification with a particular focus on their application to socio-political, epistemological, and ontological debates.
Outline Of Syllabus
Material covered may include, but is not limited to:
- Freudian psychoanalysis
- Lacanian psychoanalysis
- Philosophical and psychoanalytic accounts of desire
- Philosophical and psychoanalytic accounts of knowledge
- Philosophical and psychoanalytic accounts of power
- Freudo-Marxism
- Foucault and psychoanalysis
- Deleuze & Guattari and psychoanalysis
- Badiou and psychoanalysis
- Psychoanalysis and Feminism
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
Students will acquire an in depth range of specific knowledge enabling them to understand and critically engage with the material in question. In addition, they will develop the ability to apply ideas/concepts to relevant contemporary issues.
Intended Skill Outcomes
Students will:
- Be able to use the terminology of psychoanalysis as applied to philosophical, political, and epistemological issues
- Be able to compare and contrast different psychoanalytic orientations and the way in which they influence key debates in 20th and 21st century philosophy, political theory, and epistemology
- Engage critically and sensitively with key texts
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Essay preparation and completion |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | Tutorials |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Specific research or reading activities developed and directed by academic staff |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 52:00 | 52:00 | Review lecture material, prepare for small group teaching and assessment |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The lectures will provide essential subject-specific knowledge on a range of seminal thinkers and ideas. Seminars permit discussion of the relative merits of these thinkers and ideas and guide independent analysis, interpretation, and critique.
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 | 2 | A | 100 | 2000 word essay |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Students will be assessed by a 2000-word essay and will be able to choose from a range of essay questions. The essay tests the ability to think analytically, 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.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PHI3020's Timetable
Past Exam Papers
- Exam Papers Online : www.ncl.ac.uk/exam.papers/
- PHI3020's past Exam Papers
General Notes
N/A
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Disclaimer
The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2025 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, staffing changes, and student feedback. Module information for the 2026/27 entry will be published here in early-April 2026. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.