Ancient Philosophy (V5015)

15 credits, Level 5

Autumn teaching

On this module, you'll look at central themes in the works of Philosophers such as Heraclitus, Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, and members of later Hellenistic schools (Epicureans, Stoics, and Sceptics). 

You'll learn about:

  • the cosmic elements in Presocratic philosophy
  • the philosophical function of the Platonic dialogue
  • Plato's theory of forms and the good
  • the nature of the soul and of knowledge
  • the critique of art
  • Aristotle's conception of metaphysics
  • theories of eudaimonia or human flourishing.

 

Teaching

50%: Lecture
50%: Seminar

Assessment

100%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.