Medieval Philosophy (AP3120C)

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: AP3120C

Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Philosophy

Proposing College: Catholic Theological College

Show when this unit is running

Learning outcomes

1.

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

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

Compare in a preliminary way ideas, positions and arguments on themes that are found in more than one of the thinkers studied in the unit
4.

Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the major arguments and positions of the thinkers considered in the unit
5.

Analyse the conceptual frameworks and arguments of the thinkers that are studied in the unit – both singularly and in relation to one another where appropriate – in relation to the core themes examined in the unit.

Unit sequence

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 2,500-word essay, due week 14, 15 or 16, as set at semester start by lecturer and published in unit guide,

 2500 50.0
Written Examination

Unit variation one: 2-hour written examination (2,000 words)

 2000 50.0

Variant 2

Report

Three reports amounting to 2500 words total; with due dates set at the start of semester and published in the unit guide.

 2000 50.0
Essay

Written essay (2,500 words) due on wk 14-16 as indicated by the unit guide.

 2500 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 13:50:39 +1000