Topics in Contemporary Epistemology (PHIL40018)
HonoursPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
Availability | Semester 1 |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
This subject will explore selected topics in contemporary epistemology. We will focus on a specific topic or set of related topics in epistemology, and examine contemporary research on this topic. Sometimes a historical dimension may enter the subject where it is important to ground the topic in the work of an important historical figure (e.g. Descartes, Moore, Sellars, Wittgenstein). Specific topics may vary from year to year. They may include such topics as certainty, scepticism, relativism, the nature of epistemic warrant or justification, the epistemic role of perception, externalist, contextualist and naturalist accounts of justification and/or knowledge and the nature of a priori knowledge.
Intended learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this subject should:
- Engage on a critical basis with current research in epistemology
- Display in-depth understanding of selected topics from the recent epistemological literature
- Articulate and evaluate key philosophical concepts and theories employed in that literature
- Develop and defend their own critical evaluation of the epistemological issues explored in the subject.
Generic skills
Students who successfully complete this subject should be able to:
- Think critically
- Analyse and evaluate concepts, theories, and arguments
- Develop and present arguments for or against a position
- Consider multiple viewpoints and arguments for those viewpoints
- Articulate ideas, concepts, and interpretations with clarity and coherence
- Engage in critical reflection, synthesis, and evaluation of research-based and scholarly literature.
Last updated: 4 March 2025