PP1RP: Radical Philosophy

Module code: PP1RP

Module provider: Philosophy; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Maximilian De Gaynesford, email: r.m.degaynesford@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

From Plato and Marx to contemporaries like Judith Butler, Slavoj Zizek, Catharine MacKinnon and Giorgio Agamben, there is a long tradition of radicalism in philosophy. This course is about how radical philosophy can usefully question our deepest assumptions and challenge our deepest beliefs. Poets should be outlawed from our society! We can secure knowledge by doubting everything! Capitalism will be destroyed by the very forces it creates! It is not possible for us to live authentically! Gender is a social performance! We can never access the subjectivity of those we investigate! Pornography silences women! We are not responsible for migrants and other fringe groups of society who lack full access to citizenship! We must tolerate hate speech! Torture is permissible in extreme circumstances, e.g. post 9/11!  We cannot hope for a perfectly reconciled and harmonious society! These are some of the claims this course investigates philosophically. 

The course encourages students to confront their deepest beliefs and assumptions in a characteristically philosophical way. It helps teach the basic rudiments of philosophical argument. It informs students about current debates in philosophy. It develops a sense of the significance of philosophical thinking in dealing with modern problems. It cultivates skills in oral and written argument. It encourages students to compare and contrast very different ways of doing philosophy, e.g. ‘analytic philosophy’, ‘phenomenology’, ‘post-structuralism’, ‘continental philosophy’, ‘deconstruction’, ‘postmodernism’. 

In addition, students will be 

• enhancing their global engagement and multi-cultural awareness: this module teaches students about different conceptions of social and civic responsibility, appreciating multiple perspectives and the values of diversity. 
• enhancing their awareness of gender: this module discusses many different perspectives on gender and identity 
• enhancing their contextual abilities: this module teaches students different ways of relating concepts and theories to the current context, so they can develop the skills to apply their knowledge to real world problems. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Make their first steps towards mastery of the discipline of Philosophy and gain awareness of current philosophers.
2. Learn skills of argument and presentation, and understand the epistemology and methodology of Philosophy across a broad range of different conceptions of what counts as ‘Philosophy’.
3. Make their first steps in acquiring their own skills of research and enquiry: they will undertake research to produce coursework assignments, learn how to critically appraise what they discover.
4. Develop personal effectiveness and self-awareness: they will learn how to communicate effectively with a range of audiences (in seminars and lectures) using a range of means (speaking, summary-writing, assignment-writing), how to reflect on their progress, their strengths and weaknesses, their developing sense of the goals they wish to achieve.

Module content

The module will begin with an introduction to philosophical argument, and then explore the radical tradition in philosophy alongside current manifestations. We shall look at Plato’s claim that poets should be banished from society, Catharine MacKinnon and Rae Langton’s claim that pornography silences women, Judith Butler’s claim that gender is not the expression of a prior reality but a social performance, Gayatri Spivak’s claim that we cannot truly access the subjectivity of those we investigate, particularly migrants and other fringe groups, alongside Descartes’ claim that knowledge can be secured by doubting everything, Giorgio Agamben and Slavoj Zizek’s’s claim that post 9/11 states of exception reveal tendencies towards fascism, Chantal Mouffe’s claim that we should give up hope of a perfectly reconciled and harmonious society, settling instead for an agonistic pluralism, Marx’s claim that Capitalism will destroy itself, and Heidegger’s claim that we have difficulty ever being truly authentic. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Classes combine lectures with class discussions and seminars. We will also use online content, assignments, feedback and structured reading to help you reflect critically on the weekly topics. In discussions and in your assignments, you will have the chance to master descriptive and analytic skills, to explain and defend your views successfully.You will be encouraged to be active in all classes, asking questions and trying to answer the questions posed by others. A reading list will be given out at the start of the course. There will be two assignments and an in-class test. The assignments will take the form of relatively short answers to several questions, so there is no expectation that you will come with the ability to write a philosophy essay. They will be preceded by workshop-style practical classes called ‘Presubmission Feedback’. 

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Examples include active participation in class discussions, small group work, or contributions to a discussion board. 

Reassessment

Additional costs