1. Construct a well-argued critique of a topic within Continental (European) philosophy.
2. Engage with current research in that topic and pursue work in the area that is contextually aware, employing critically reflective methods, and identifying and overcoming problems.
3. Communicate your findings clearly and in an appropriately organised manner.

Assessment 1. Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3.

The coursework essay is the main summative assessment. Students will have the option of formulating their own essay question to address a problem relevant to or arising from the material covered in the module and will be expected to compose a well researched, evidenced, and coherently argued essay.

Assessment 2. Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3.

This assessment will be formative. Students will be required to undertake a shorter task, such as a review of relevant secondary literature (including online resources), a critical analysis of a passage from a text, or a short video presentation on a topic covered in the module.

Assessment 3. Learning Outcome 4.

The discussion board is a vital part of the learning experience for all students. In addition to requiring students to articulate their understanding of the problems addressed by the module, it provides an opportunity for tutor-student and peer to peer feedback.

The module will be dedicated to a topic on which the tutor is researching at the time. Topics will vary from year to year according to the tutor involved and their research. It will provide an opportunity for students to engage with contemporary research and will provide insight into the research process. It will involve both research informed teaching and research through teaching. For example, if the topic were Michel Serres’s concept of a ‘natural contract’ students might follow a close reading of selected texts by Serres on this topic accompanied by additional material by other authors that contextualise or problematise Serres’s work. The tutor would develop their own work through the interaction with students

This module is an opportunity to work alongside your tutor investigating a topic on which they are working at the time. The topic will vary according to the tutor’s research each year. By taking this module you will gain insight into the research process, share in the development of ideas, and be able to develop your own understanding of a problem in contemporary philosophy.

The main focus will be on guided independent study within a structured framework, starting from reading and research materials supplied. Week by week students will work through course materials (e.g. notes, readings, tutor videos) that provide the framework and focus for reading key texts and undertaking the specific tasks set. This work will be undertaken on an individual basis, but students will be expected regularly to interact with fellow students, and tutors or guest lecturers through the discussion forum.

Bennett, Jane Vibrant Matter: a political ecology of things. Duke University Press, 2010.

Dolphijn, Rick and Van der Tuin, Iris (eds), New Materialisms: Interviews and Cartographies. Open Humanities Press, 2012.

Latour, Bruno Down to Earth: politics in the new climatic regime. Polity Press, 2018.

Mitropoulos, Angela Contract and Contagion: from biopolitics to oikonomia. Minor Compositions, 2013.

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques Discourse on Political Economy and the Social Contract. Oxford World Classics, 2008.

Serres, Michel The Natural Contract. University of Michigan Press, 1990.

Serres, Michel The Birth of Physics. Rowman and Littlefield, 2018.

Stone, Christopher ‘Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects’. Southern California Law Review, Vol 45 (1972), pp.450-501.

Watkin, Christopher Michel Serres: figures of thought. Edinburgh University Press, 2020.

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