Postgraduate Course: The Philosophy of Simone Weil MSc (PHIL11162)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will study the philosophy and philosophical works of Simone Weil from her Cartesian roots to her later Platonic moral philosophy, as well as her impact on post-war, English-language philosophers.
Shared with undergraduate course The Philosophy of Simone Weil PHIL10161.
For courses co-taught with undergraduate students and with no remaining undergraduate spaces left, a maximum of 8 MSc students can join the course. Priority will be given to MSc students who wish to take the course for credit on a first come first served basis after matriculation. |
| Course description |
This course will study Simone Weil's philosophy, including her philosophies of labour and justice; and her conceptions of morality and moral personality. Study will proceed through a close reading of central essays or extracts from collected notes and notebooks. Discussion will focus on her texts, less so those of interpreters, so students will learn to read her work. The course will highlight the movement from earlier views oriented around action to later views oriented around attention. This course is oriented around a single philosopher and her work, but attention will also fall on the connections between Weil's philosophy and enduring difficulties in the philosophies of Descartes and Plato; as well as the impact on recent philosophers such as Iris Murdoch and Peter Winch. Limited consideration will be given to Weil's writings on spirituality. The focus is philosophical.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 8 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework essay (100 per cent weight) ; Essay 2500 words±10%
Essay deadline: Monday 17th April 2017 by 12 noon
Word limit: 2750 words maximum (excluding references)
Return deadline: Tuesday 9th May 2017 |
| Feedback |
Students have the opportunity to submit a formative essay by week 6 deadline on Turnitin via Learn. The essay cannot be draft of summative essay but it can be on the same topic.
Formative essay deadline: Thursday 2nd March 2017 by 12 noon
Return deadline: Friday 24th March 2017 |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Grasp and analyze central themes in Weil¿s philosophy
- Improve core skills in philosophy, including the ability to interpret and engage with philosophical texts, evaluate arguments, and develop critical ideas in response
- Relate Weil¿s philosophy to that of historical and contemporary philosophers, including who influenced whom
- Understand conceptions of voluntariness, attention and action distant from the philosophical mainstream
- Locate the points of interaction between Weil¿s philosophical elaborations and familiar philosophical theories
|
Reading List
Simone Weil, "Human Personality" or "La Personne et le sacré"
Simone Weil, "Are We Struggling for Justice?" or "Luttons-nous pour la Justice?" (PI) Simone Weil, "The Legitimacy of the Provisional Government" (PI)"
Simone Weil, The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind, 1952.
Simone Weil, "Essay on the Notion of Reading" or "Essai sur la notion de lecture"
Simone Weil, "The Iliad, Poem of Force"
Simone Weil and J.P. Holoka, Simone Weil's the Iliad or the Poem of
Force: A Critical Edition, 2005.
Simone Weil, Lectures on Philosophy, 1978.
Peter Winch, Simone Weil: The Just Balance, 1989.
Rush Rhees, Discussions of Simone Weil, 2000.
David McLellan, Simone Weil: Utopian Pessimist, 1999.
Palle Yorgrau, Simone Weil, 2011.
Christopher Hamilton, "Simone Weil's 'Human Personality': Between the Personal and the Impersonal," Harvard Theological Review, 2005.
Rowan Williams, "Review article on Peter Winch, Simone Weil: The Just Balance," Philosophical Investigations, 1991.
David Cockburn, "Self, World and God in Spinoza and Weil," Studies in World Christianity, 1998.
We will work from assorted articles, reading one or two each week. These vary as new topics emerge. The full details will be in the course guide on LEARN.
|
Additional Information
| Course URL |
See Learn website |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Close reading.
Selective note taking.
Critical interpretation.
Developing an argument.
Written communication.
Oral debate.
|
| Keywords | Philosophy,Morality,Simone Weil,Justice |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Levy
Tel: (0131 6)50 9943
Email: Jenni.Brown@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: |
|
© Copyright 2017 The University of Edinburgh - 6 February 2017 9:16 pm
|
University Homepage