The Philosophy of Work module (PI31018)

You will look at a number of case studies where prominent recent and contemporary philosophers have intervened in political debates and issues. The philosophers in question fall within the continental European tradition, and include:

• Martin Heidegger
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Michel Foucault
• Theodore W. Adorno
• Hannah Arendt
• Jürgen Habermas
• Jean-François Lyotard
• Jean Baudrillard
• Gilles Deleuze
• Gianni Vattimo
• Slavoj Zizek
• Jacques Rancière
• Bernard Stiegler
• Giorgio Agamben
• Alain Badiou

With each case study, you will begin with the relevant texts of the philosopher in question. You will work back to put this into context with the philosophers’ wider ideas. From this basis, you will to reflect on the relations between politics and philosophy that are implied in the philosopher’s intervention.

What you will learn

In this module you will:

• gain knowledge on subjects such as:
• major world-historical events such as the Shoah (Holocaust) and September 11
• general political ideologies such as liberalism and communism
• the politics of identity and the politics of difference. This will also include issues of race, sexuality and culture, current events, or specific pieces of proposed legislation.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• show a critical knowledge of philosophy in regards to politics

Assignments / assessment

• 1,500 word essay (15% of overall mark)
• 3,000 word critical intellectual diary (80%)

This module does not have a final exam.

Teaching methods / timetable

• interactive lectures / seminars