2009 Course Handbook
PHIL356: Contemporary European Philosophy
This unit introduces students to very recent work deriving from the tradition of modern European philosophy and attempts to bring this into dialogue with debates in other areas of ethics and political philosophy.
The course focuses in particular on current debates about the potentials and limitations of democracy; debates about the power and the risks of modern law and of the political state; and arguments over the consequences of the historical experiences of revolutions and genocides in the modern period. The course ends with a study of the important philosophical debate (between Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida) concerning September 11 and the so-called 'war on terror'. What do these events signify about our contemporary geopolitical situation? Is terrorism an aberrant response to the modern world or a violent manifestation of its internal logic?
| Credit Points: | 4 |
| Contact Hours: | 3 |
| When Offered: | 2010 - offered in 2010 |
| Staff Contact: | Dr Jean-Philippe Deranty |
| Prerequisites: | (40cp including 4cp in 200-level PHIL) or admission to GDipPhil |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCWs: | |
| Unit Designations: | Social Science |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: |
Department of Philosophy |