Tab 3 Content

Final Year

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 24/25 with semester updates and student policies.

Answers to queries regarding online learning available here: 

Students' queries recommended stages 3rd Years

Mic Léinn: Ceist a ardú maidir le fadhbanna teagaisc

Please also note the following QA202 policy on Recording of Lectures and other Formal Teaching Sessions by Students.

QA616 University of Galway Student Code of Conduct Policy.

Semester dates 

Third Year Modules 2024/2025

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:

• PI335 Moral Theory (Dr. Felzmann)
• 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:

• PI3100 Kant's Theoretical Philosophy (Dr. Tsarina Doyle)
• PI399 Extended Essay (TBA)
• PI129 Advanced Philosophical Text (Dr. Tosh)
• PI310 Topics in Applied Philosophy (Dr. Hull)
• PI3105 Philosophy of Nature (Prof. Ó Murchadha) 

* 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 2024/25

3^rd Arts Semester Two 2024/2025

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.

Staff Representative for Third Years:   

• Semester One: Dr. Heike Felzmann: heike.felzmann@universityofgalway.ie 
• Semester Two: Dr. Tsarina Doyle: tsarina.doyle@universityofgalway.ie

Student Representatives for Third/Final Years:   

• TBA

Individual Course Details

SEMESTER  1

Moral Theory 

Lecturer:  Dr. Heike Felzmann

Course description: This course will introduce students to important positions and concepts in contemporary moral theory. It covers the traditional theories of consequentialism, deontology and virtue theory, as well as contemporary theories, such as the principle-based approach to bioethics, care ethics and narrative ethics.  It will also explore amoralism and relativism and engage with the concepts of responsibility, conscience and moral luck. Preparation of weekly readings and willingness to participate constructively in class discussion are essential requirements for participation.

Philosophy of Mind

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.

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. Beginning with the question ‘What is culture?’ it progresses to exploring approaches to culture by a range of German thinkers from the 18th to 20th century from Schiller and Nietzsche to contributions from a range of thinkers from the Frankfurt school (Benjamin, Adorno, Horkheimer and Marcuse).  In the case of each thinker, we ask what the task of culture is, (an existential conform, a form of elevation, a means of control or a revolutionary force, for example) and the implications of this account for how we engage with cultural phenomena.
This module focuses on reflecting on these varied ideas in practice, and as such students have a choice of continuous assessment options including a placement at TULCA festival of arts or producing a short podcast.

SEMESTER 2:

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. 

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.