Undergraduate Courses

First Year

Welcome to Philosophy

Welcome to all our incoming Philosophy students! We are delighted you have chosen to study Philosophy and look forward to introducing you to the fascinating world of philosophical thought. In first year, you will be brought on a whistle stop tour of the main figures in the history of Philosophy exploring those ideas which formed the world as we know it. Your skills in reasoning and articulating ideas will be stimulated and developed. Practical issues of morality will be discussed in all their complexity and the therapeutic capacity of philosophy as well as its potential for understanding such ubiquitous themes as love and the nature of the self will be discussed.  While classes can be big, you will be placed in tutorial groups of 15 students, which meet weekly to discuss the lecture topics.

Please make sure you are familiar with our First-Year Handbook for Philosophy Students 25/26

Queries about learning answered here (English and Irish versions).

Student queries - recommended stages about learning answered here (English and Irish versions)

C‌ontact:

Head of Year:  Dr. Nick Tosh nick.tosh@universityofgalway.ie

First Year Modules 2025/2026

• Introduction to the History of Philosophy
• Critical Thinking & Logic
• Philosophical Questions & Issues
• Introduction to Practical Ethics 

Timetables:

1^st Arts Semester One 2025/26

Lectures:

Students must attend all the lectures for all of their modules and should, where advised by their lecturer, complete the reading in advance. Students are responsible for taking their own notes during lectures and should arrive on time for their classes

• 4 weekly lectures, 1.5 tutorials (20 ECTS, All listed modules and associated tutorials) 

• 3 weekly lectures, 1.5 tutorials (15 ECTS, PI107, PI108 and PISK1102 and associated tutorials) 

Dates of Semesters 

Canvas

Compulsory/ Optional Courses:

All courses are compulsory for B.A. students (Joint Honours).     B.A. Connect students do not have to take PI120 Philosophical Questions and Issues.

Schedule of Courses:

 Individual Course Details:

Introduction to History of Philosophy:

Lecturer:  Dr. O. Richardson

Course description:

The course will introduce students to key thinkers and ideas in the history of western philosophy. Since ancient philosophy is so central to this history, the first half of the course is devoted to some of its most important achievements in the work of the Pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle. Attention is then turned to aspects of medieval philosophy, and the great rationalist and empiricist traditions (represented by Descartes, Leibniz, Locke and Hume, respectively) finishing with Nietzsche. 

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination:  Examination

Core texts:   

Copleston, History of Philosophy, Image Publishing
Guthrie, W. K. C., The Greek Philosophers from Thales to Aristotle, Methuen
Johnston, D., A Brief History of Philosophy, Continuum
Plato, Republic, Penguin
Russell, B., History of Western Philosophy, Routledge
Solomon, R. and Higgins, K., A Short History of Philosophy, Oxford
Stumpf, S. E., and Fieser, J., Socrates to Sartre and Beyond, McGraw Hill

Introduction to Practical Ethics:

Lecturer: Dr. R. Hull

Course description: This course (Practical Ethics) provides a rigorous examination of a wide range of contemporary ethical issues. Students will learn about the ethical theories that tend to inform our practical decision making. Those theories will then be applied to a number of contemporary issues. These may include genetic selection, pre-natal testing, assisted death, social inequality and world poverty. Readings will be recommended for each topic via Blackboard.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by written essay at the end of the second semester (50%) and in-class examination(s) throughout the second semester (50%).  

Core texts:

Mizzoni, J. Ethics: the basics, Blackwell 2010.

La Follette, H, ed., Ethics in Practice: An Anthology, Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.

Singer, P. Practical Ethics, Cambridge University Press, 2011.  

Wolff, J. An introduction to moral philosophy, Norton, 2018.

Critical Thinking & Logic:

Lecturer:  Dr. N. Tosh

Course description: Successful humanities students are sophisticated consumers and producers of arguments. In this key skills module students will learn to distinguish arguments from other forms of persuasion; to map the argumentative structure of a complex text; to spot fallacious patterns of reasoning; and to apply some of the tools of elementary formal logic.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination:  Overall assessment is by continuous assessment in the first semester and a written examination in the second semester.

Core texts:         

The course is self-contained and there is no set text. However, for extension reading students may wish to consult the following:

Fisher, A. (2011). Critical Thinking: An Introduction.
Bowell, T. and Kemp, G. (2010). Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide.

Philosophical Questions & Issues:

Lecturers:    Dr. N Ward (Semester One)
                     Prof. F. Ó Murchadha (Semester Two)         

Course description: This course aims to introduce students to a diversity of philosophical approaches to the problem of meaning and value. Issues covered will include some of the following: justice, poverty, love, death, totalitarianism, genetics and human life, human rights, free will, violence and the meaning of life.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials. It is team taught by different lecturers each year. More specific readings will be advised at the beginning of each semester.

Methods of assessment and examination:  Overall assessment is by an essay at the end of the first semester and a written examination at the end of the second semester. Mid-term assignment may be required.

Selected texts: 

Law, S., The Philosophy Gym: 25 Short Adventures in Thinking
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Various editions
Bretall, R. (ed.), A Kierkegaard Anthology
Plato, Symposium, various editions 
Barry, B., Democracy, power and justice
Wolff, J., An Introduction to Political Philosophy
John Locke, “Of Identity and Diversity” (II. Xxvii), in Essay on Human Understanding 

Second Year

Welcome to Second Year! 

We are delighted that you have decided to choose to continue with your studies of Philosophy and are very much looking forward to working with you in the coming year. 

There are two compulsory modules in second year on the History of Modern Philosophy beginning with the Rationalists in Semester 1 and then moving on the Empiricists and Kant in Semester 2. These modules bring you through a key epoch in philosophy (from the end of the Sixteenth to the beginning of the Nineteenth Centuries). The other modules are all optional. In making your choice of module, we urge you to consult the page of Module Pathways and encourage you to speak to the Head of Year as you make your decision.   

Entry requirements: A pass in First Arts Philosophy or its equivalent in the case of exchange and visiting students‌.

‌Please make sure that you are familiar with our 2nd year Arts Philosophy Handbook 25/26. 

Answers to queries re. online learning available here : 

Queries about learning answered here.

QA616 University of Galway Student Code of Conduct policy.

Head of Second Year:   
Dr. Lucy Elvis lucy.elvis@universityofgalway.ie

Student Representatives for Second Year:   
TBA‌

Second Year Modules 2025/26

Semester 1:

• PI2111 Themes in the History of Modern Philosophy: Rationalism  (compulsory)

plus two of the following optional modules:

• PI210 Moral and Political Philosophy 
• PI240 Bioethics
• PI246 American Pragmatism
• PI247 Nietzsche and Philosophy 
• PI248 Phenomenology
• PI2113 Topics in Ancient Philosophy

Semester 2: three of the following optional modules:

• PI2112 Themes in the History of Modern Philosophy: Empiricism and Beyond (compulsory)
  
  plus two of the following optional modules:
  
  
• PI207 Philosophy of Art
• PI241 History of Irish Thought
• PI2102 Formal Logic 
• PI2105 Philosophical Inquiry through P4C 

Timetables

Compulsory/Optional Courses:

PI2111 and PI2112 are compulsory; all other second-year modules are optional. You should take three modules each semester. There may be occasional conflicts with other subjects. Before you register, make sure there are no conflicts with modules that you will be taking in your other subject. 

Teaching timetable

2^nd Arts Semester One 2025/26

2^nd Arts Semester Two 2025/26

Individual Course Details:

Themes in the History of Modern Philosophy: Rationalism (COMPULSORY MODULE)

 Lecturer: Prof. Felix Ó Murchadha 

Course description:  This course discusses the rationalist philosophy of René Descartes, Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.  These philosophers each attempted to give a solid grounding to science, ethics and theology through a thoroughgoing rationalist metaphysics. In examining these accounts we will pay special attention to the historical context of their respective systematic accounts of knowledge and reality.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by compulsory tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by written exam, plus continuous assessment based on participation in Lectures and in small group exercises.

Core Texts:

Moral and Political Philosophy

Lecturer: Dr Orla Richardson

Course description: This module is an introduction to several important topics and questions in political and moral philosophy, such as: What, if anything, legitimises governmental authority and the exercise of political power? What is justice? What is the nature of citizenship? Is a free market a necessary component of a free society? What principles ground our fundamental notions of property rights, freedom, and equality? To explore these questions, we will begin by reading extracts from the Ancients, primarily Plato and Aristotle. We will then examine the ideas of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Finally, we will review texts by nineteenth century authors, like J.S. Mill and Karl Marx. Overall, the aim of this course is to trace the ideas that have shaped our contemporary political systems and to equip us to think critically about what conditions make ‘the good society’ possible. 

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by discussion sessions utilising a community-of-inquiry approach to philosophical reflection. 

Methods of assessment and evaluation: 

Core Texts:
Steven M. Cahn, ed., Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2011) 

Bioethics

Lecturer: Dr. Nora Ward

Course description: This seminar is concerned with contemporary issues in Bioethics. It will introduce a variety of normative ethical theories to provide a foundation for the critical analysis of a range of issues arising from the biological and medical sciences. These are likely to include abortion, euthanasia/physician assisted suicide, disability, genetic modification and resource allocation. It is intended that students will gain knowledge of moral philosophy that equips them to evaluate some of the most pressing dilemmas facing biomedical practice.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by Continuous Assessment and group work (30%) and essay (70%).

Core Texts:
Beauchamp, T., & Childress, J., Principles of Biomedical Ethics, OUP, 1994.
Singer, P. (Ed), A Companion to Ethics, Blackwell, 1993.

American Pragmatism 

 Lecturer: Dr. Tsarina Doyle 

 
Course Description: This course shall examine some of the central themes at the heart of American pragmatism.  We shall begin by addressing the historical and scientific background informing the emergence of the pragmatist movement in nineteenth-century America.  Taking the pragmatist denial of absolute beliefs as our guiding theme, the course shall explore the pragmatist writings of William James in the nineteenth century and Richard Rorty in the twentieth century.  In particular, we shall focus on James’s rejection of philosophical oppositions.  Finally, we shall turn to the neo-pragmatism of Rorty’s Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature paying particular attention to both his critique of the representational view of the mind and his recommendation of social pragmatism. 

Prerequisites: None 

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials. 

Methods of assessment and examination: Assessment is based on a written essay at the end of the semester with continuous assessment added to the evaluation. 

Core texts: A list of readings will be provided at the beginning of the semester. 

Nietzsche and Philosophy 

Lecturer: Dr Tsarina Doyle 

Course description: This course shall introduce students to some of the central themes informing the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche. Comprising a close reading of his writings, it offers students an opportunity to explore such concepts as perspectivism, the will to power, nihilism, the death of God, master and slave morality, genealogy, the Ubermensch and eternal recurrence. Nietzsche’s response to traditional philosophical problems of truth and knowledge and his use of the language of falsification and illusion shall also be considered. All students shall be expected to engage in class discussions. 

Prerequisites: None 

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials. 

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by written essay. 

Core Texts: 
Ansell Pearson, Keith and Large, Duncan (eds) 2006, The Nietzsche Reader, Blackwell. 
Clarke, Maudemarie 1990, Nietzsche on Truth and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press. 
Ansell Pearson, Keith, (ed.) 2006, A companion to Nietzsche, Blackwell. 
May, Simon 1999, Nietzsche's Ethics and his War on 'Morality', Clarendon Press. 
Schacht, Richard 1983, Nietzsche, Routledge and Kegan Paul. 
Solomon, Robert C., and Higgins, Kathleen M. 1988, Reading Nietzsche, Oxford University Press. 

Philosophy of Art

 Lecturer: Dr. Lucy Elvis

Course description: This module is an introduction to philosophical approaches to various artforms across Western history of ideas. It gives students the skills to rigorously understand relevant key texts as well as critically discuss them in relation to a range of art practices and artworks. Whether pre-modern, modern, or contemporary, the philosophical approaches considered cover a variety of methods
including from the analytic and interpretive traditions. Similarly, the artforms discussed span a variety of historical periods, movements and categories.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: 

Students are assessed in three ways in this course. 

1) In-class participation recorded through responses to discussion question posed in class and posted to the LMS. (10%) 

Student must be present to answer these questions- the online response area will only be open during class times. Students must attend all classes for this module unless they have a valid extenuating circumstance (i.e. illness.) 

2) Interactive Oral (40%)

These group assessments will take place in week 12 and are based on content covered in the first 3-4 weeks of the semester. Students will be examined in groups 4-5 with interaction from their lecturer. 

3) Essay (50%)

Students will submit an essay focused on one of the core questions covered in the course from weeks 4-11. The use of AI text-generation tools is not permitted in the planning, research or writing of this work.

Core Texts:
Gracyk, T., The Philosophy of Art, Polity Press
Carroll, N., Philosophy of Art: A Contemporary Introduction, Routledge
Hofstadter, A. and Kuhns, R., Philosophies of Art and Beauty: Selected Readings in Aesthetics from Plato to Heidegger, University of Chicago Press
Bredin, H. and Santoro-Brienza, L., Philosophies of Art and Beauty: Introduction to Aesthetics, Edinburgh University Press

History of Irish Thought

Lecturers:  Dr. John O’Reilly

Course Description: The course History of Irish Thought introduces the student to the thought of Irish men and women who have made a contribution to philosophical thought. This year the course will focus on two particular individuals, the 18th parliamentarian and writer Edmund Burke (1729 –1797) and the contemporary political philosopher Philip Pettit. Our main concern shall be to examine their respective contributions to questions of liberty, good government, and the sources of a just and stable society.

Formal Logic

 Lecturer: Dr Nick Tosh

Course description: Formal logic is the systematic study of deductive reasoning. It is motivated by such questions as ‘what does it mean to say that a piece of reasoning is “correct”?’, ‘how can we tell when a piece of reasoning is correct?’, and ‘could we program a machine to do the job for us?’ The course begins with the concept of validity, and then moves on to cover sentence logic, truth tables, natural deduction, and elementary predicate logic. Throughout, we lean heavily on Paul Teller’s Logic Primer, now freely available online (https://tellerprimer.ucdavis.edu/). No previous knowledge is assumed, but good study habits are essential. Readings and practice exercises will be set each week, and students who fall behind may find it difficult to catch up.

Prerequisites: None

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials.

Methods of assessment and examination: Overall assessment is by written exam, supplemented by some short in-class written tests.

Core Texts:
Paul Teller, A Modern Formal Logic Primer, https://tellerprimer.ucdavis.edu/

Philosophical Inquiry through P4C

 Lecturers: Dr Lucy Elvis 

Course description: This is a peer-assisted learning module. It focuses on an educational approach to learning called Philosophy for Children (P4C). P4C is a form of inquiry-based learning that encourages critical thinking through democratic dialogue. It is a pedagogy that helps to foster critical, creative, and caring thinking skills amongst all types of learners. Through this internationally practised pedagogy, groups of learners become ‘communities of inquiry’, tackling philosophical questions they themselves identify and formulate. Through thinking together, these communities learn to challenge assumptions, give reasons, and cultivate their critical thinking skills. The module will provide students with a theoretical introduction to the P4C pedagogy, the opportunity to experience the pedagogy as members of a community of inquiry, and the skills needed to become a P4C facilitator. Students will develop their own facilitation practice by delivering P4C workshops (in teams) to groups of University of Galway first-year philosophy students on campus at University of Galway. 

Prerequisites:

• This module is capped at 21 students. Students should both choose the module at registration and fill out the expression of interest form. Should the module become oversubscribed, instructors will assess your responses to the form (and if relevant your previous engagement with Philosophy.) The form is available here
• In weeks 3 or 4 of the semester, there will be a Friday and Saturday training event (dates TBC). Attendance at these training events is compulsory for any student registered for PI2105. 
• Garda vetting must be completed by any student participating in this module. Students will receive vetting information in week 2 of the semester. 

Teaching and learning methods: This course is taught through a mixture of lectures and seminar-based learning.

Methods of assessment

1) Satisfactory participation in all classes - including assigned facilitation of P4C workshops - is required.

2) Students are required to submit a detailed “theory-to-practice” journal.   In this journal, students will engage in theoretical reflection on the P4C pedagogy in response to short readings and will assess the impact of that reflection on their classroom practices. 

3) Book module and associated lesson plan.

Core Texts: You are not required to purchase a textbook. All extracts from primary texts will be available on Blackboard. However, there is a list of suggested preparatory core readings below:

Gregory, Maughn, Joanna Haynes, and Karin Murris. The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophy for Children. New York: Routledge, 2017.

Gregory, Laverty, Gregory, Maughn, and Laverty, Megan. In Community of Inquiry with Ann Margaret Sharp: Childhood, Philosophy and Education. Routledge International Studies in the Philosophy of Education, 2018.

Lipman, Matthew. Thinking in Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Lipman, Matthew, Ann Margaret Sharp, and Frederick S. Oscanyan. Philosophy in the Classroom. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, [Pa.]: Temple University Press, 1980

Lyons, A., McIlrath, L. & Munck, R. Higher Education and Civic Engagement: Comparative Perspectives. UK: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012.

Naji, Rosnani Hashim, and Naji, Saeed. History, Theory and Practice of Philosophy for Children: International Perspectives. Routledge Research in Education. 2017. 

Final Year

Welcome to your Final Year 

It is good to have you back for the final year of your degree. All modules are optional in Final Year, but please note that there is a requirement to have at least a 2.1 in your second year Philosophy in order to register for the Extended Essay modules (PI399). If you are thinking of going on to Postgraduate study in Philosophy, the Extended essay module may be a good choice for you. 

Entry requirements: A pass in Second Arts Philosophy or its equivalent in the case of visiting and exchange students. Students registered for the B.A. (International) must also have attained a satisfactory academic performance during their year abroad.

‌Please make sure you are familiar with our Final Year Philosophy Handbook 25/26.

Answers to queries regarding online learning available here

Queries about learning answered here (English and Irish versions).

QA616 University of Galway Student Code of Conduct Policy.

Semester dates 

Third Year Modules 2025/2026

All third-year courses are optional. You should pick three modules each semester. Familiarity with Canvas is essential for your learning this year.

Please note that to register for year-long module PI399 Extended Essay, you must have achieved a Second-Year grade of 2:1 or higher in Philosophy. 

Semester 1:

• PI315 Philosophy of Mind (Dr. O'Reilly)
• PI3103 Environmental Ethics (Dr. Ward)
• PI3104 Philosophy and Culture in Context (with placement) (Dr. Elvis)
• PI3106 Formal Logic 2 (Dr. Tosh)
• PI3107 Philosophy of Science (Dr. Tosh)
• PI399 Extended Essay (Dr. Felzmann) (*)

Semester 2:

• PI399 Extended Essay (Dr. Doyle) (*)
• PI129 Advanced Philosophical Text (Dr. Tosh)
• PI310 Topics in Applied Philosophy (Dr. Hull)
• PI327 Philosophy of Religion (Prof. Ó Murchadha) 
• PI3108 Topics in Post-Kantian Philosophy (Dr. Doyle)

* PI399 is a year-long 5ECTS module for which you register in Semester 1 and which you will attend over both semesters. Semester 2 will require more work to complete your research and writing; for workload reasons it is advisable to pick PI399 and three other modules in Semester 1 and two modules in Semester 2. 

Timetables

                                                                   3rd Arts Semester One 2025/26

Workshops dates and venues:

• 25th of September (The Bridge room - Hardiman Building)
• 9th October (G010 Hardiman Building)
• 23rd October (The Bridge room - Hardiman Building)
• 20th November (The Bridge room - Hardiman Building)

3^rd Arts Semester Two 2025/2026

There is no need to sign up to tutorials at the beginning of the year - lecturers will make and communicate any arrangements that might be in place with regard to splitting their classes for tutorials.  All modules will provide an interactive component to students.

Head of Third Years:   

• Dr. Tsarina Doyle: tsarina.doyle@universityofgalway.ie

Student Representatives for Third/Final Years:   

• TBA

Individual Course Details

SEMESTER  1

Lecturer:  Dr. John O’Reilly

Course Description: The course begins with an introduction to three influential approaches to mental phenomena – Logical Behaviourism, Identity Theory, and the emergence of Functionalism. The second part of the course builds on these foundations via an exploration of David Lewis’ Analytic Functionalism and Jerry Fodor’s Psycho-functionalism. At this stage, we are ready to look at the Computational Theory of Mind and Daniel Dennett’s Intentional Stance. The final section of the course focuses on John Searle’s critique of the Computational approach to the mind with his “Chinese Room” thought experiment and on the advent of Embodied Cognition as a criticism of overly mind-centred accounts of cognition.

Kant's Theoretical Philosophy 

Lecturer:  Dr. Tsarina Doyle 

Course description: This module examines Kant's theoretical philosophy by focussing on his arguments for transcendental idealism in the Critique of Pure Reason. Particular attention will be paid to Kant's ambitious aim to establish the objectivity of Newtonian science whilst leaving room for the possibility of God, freedom and immortality by focussing on his arguments for the transcendental ideality of space and time, his argument for the transcendental deduction of the categories, his distinction between phenomena and noumena, the argument of the Analogies and Antinomies. The modules also incorporates a number of revision exercises to help with student learning and understanding of the text. 

Prerequisites: None 

Teaching and learning methods: The course is lecture-based, supplemented by tutorials. 

Methods of assessment and examination:  Assessment is based on a written essay at the end of the semester with continuous assessment added to the evaluation. 

Environmental Ethics 

Lecturer:  Dr Nora Ward

Course description: This class will focus on the ethical, ecological and social dimensions of environmental issues. We begin with an exploration of the perception of nature in Western thought, through a review of texts that shaped the field of environmental ethics. As such, we will explore the relationship between human and non-human nature, addressing questions such as "Does non-human nature matter for its own sake, or simply for the sake of fulfilling human interests? What about the value of holistic entities such as ecosystems? What is intrinsic value anyway, and how does it differ from instrumental value?" Towards the latter half of the course, we will focus on the philosophical implications of international environmental issues such as climate change, indigenous rights, ecofeminism, environment justice and eco-terrorism.

 
Philosophy and Culture in Context

Lecturer:  Dr. Lucy Elvis

Course description: This module explores philosophical approaches to the production and consumption of art and culture in contemporary society through an examination of four themes. Culture and reality, culture and technology, culture, culture and alienation and culture and violence. For each theme two different philosophical perspective will be explored to examine the dynamics of contemporary cultural production and consumption. 

SEMESTER 2: 

Topics in Applied Philosophy

Lecturer:  Dr Richard Hull

Course description: This course is concerned with the application of the study of philosophy to issues of public concern. It takes the experiences of disability and social deprivation as case studies and looks at how such experiences can best be theoretically articulated. Particular attention is given to rival theories of human freedom and their relevance to contemporary social and political debates. Attention is also focused on how different theories of justice and morality imply very different social responses to the issues of disability and deprivation. Subjects covered include Rawls’ theory of freedom, Nozick's libertarianism, the acts/omissions distinction and the doctrine of double effect. The course is designed to give students an analytical background that can be used to explore other contemporary social and political issues.