Medieval Philosophy (AP2120C)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

Philosophers of the middle ages investigated such ‘modern’ concerns as cosmology and freedom, the question of being, skepticism about truth and immortality, the nature of happiness and ‘the good life’, love and hate, political authority, beauty, faith and reason. This unit explores texts from the fourth to the fourteenth century that address such concerns. It considers the historical milieux, philosophical thought and selected texts of authors who may include Augustine, Boethius, Erigena, Avicenna, Anselm, Abelard, Peter Lombard, Hildegard, Phillip the Chancellor, Albert, Bonaventure, Aquinas, Siger of Brabant, Roger Bacon, Matthew of Aquasparta, Eckhart, Scotus, and Ockham.

Unit code: AP2120C

Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 2

Unit discipline: Philosophy

Proposing College: Catholic Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Explain the specifically-medieval conceptual framework behind the texts studied in the unit
2.

Describe the fundamental ideas, positions and arguments of the thinkers studied in the unit;
3.

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the major arguments of the thinkers considered in the unit;
4.

Appraise the conceptual frameworks and arguments of the thinkers studied in the unit in relation to the core themes examined in the unit

Unit sequence

AP2210C: 36 points of philosophy at first level AP3210C: 36 points of philosophy at second level

Pedagogy

Lectures, seminars, tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

  • Anselm of Canterbury. The Major Works. Edited and translated by Brian Davies and G. R. Evans. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
  • Bosley, Richard, and Martin, M. Tweedale, eds. and trans. Basic Issues in Medieval Philosophy: Selected Readings Presenting the Interactive Discourses Among the Major Figures. Orchard Park: Broadview Press, 1997.
  • Delhaye, Philippe. Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages. London: Burns & Oates, 1960.
  • Klima, Gyula, ed. Medieval Philosophy: Essential Readings with Commentary. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2007.
  • Kretzmann, Norman, and Eleonore Stump, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
  • Knowles, David. The Evolution of Medieval Thought. New York: Longman, 1988.
  • Marenbon, John. Medieval Philosophy. New York: Routledge, 1998.
  • McGrade, Arthur, John Kilcullen, and Matthew Kempshall, eds. Ethics and Political Philosophy. Vol. 2, The Cambridge Translations of Medieval Philosophical Texts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
  • Pasnau, Robert, ed. Mind and Knowledge. Vol. 3, The Cambridge Translations of Medieval Philosophical Texts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
  • Williams, Thomas, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Duns Scotus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Essay

1 x 2,000-word essay

 2000 50.0
Written Examination

2-hour written examination (2,000 words)

 2000 50.0

Variant 2

Report

Three take-home reports comprising 2000 words total. Due week 14, 15 or 16, as set at semester start by lecturer and published in unit outline

 2000 50.0
Essay

1 x 2,000-word essay

 2000 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 27 Jun, 2023

Unit record last updated: 2023-06-27 13:50:13 +1000