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MA Philosophy & Religion Courses


Prof. Anne Sheppard (RHUL)
*+20 credits
Meets: Mondays 11 - 1 (Term 1)
Some previous knowledge of Greek philosophy is desirable, but not essential: the course will begin with an introduction to Neoplatonism and its antecedents and with study of some texts of Plato which were of particular importance for the Neoplatonists, before moving on to closer study of Plotinus, beginning with Enneads 1.6 and 5.1 and going on to focus on other parts of Enneads 1, 4, 5 and 6.  Texts may be studied in translation.
Assessment: One essay of 4,000-5,000 words
Place: RHUL Bedford Square Annexe WC1E 6DP

Dr Jenny Bryan (UCL)
*+20 credits
Meets: Mondays 2-4 (Term 2)
This course offers students the opportunity to explore two aspects of the interaction between philosophy and literature in the Classical World. The first is what philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle have to say about the nature of poetry. The second, not unrelated, aspect is the way that the form and content of ancient philosophy can be seen to be significantly related. Students will look at a range of texts from across the ancient canon, including the Presocratics, Plato's dialogues, Seneca's letters, Cicero's dialogues and Lucretius' didactic verse. This course can also be taken by students at UCL on other MA programmes as a 15 credit option (CLASGG14).
Assessment: one 5,000 word essay
Place: UCL: room G09, Gordon House

NB  This module is only available to UCL students.

Dr Fiona Leigh (UCL)
20 credits
Meets: tbc (Term 2)
This combined upper level undergraduate and graduate level course aims to familiarize students with a range of Aristotle's philosophical arguments and analyses of the world as he encountered it. Topics include Aristotle's logic (Prior Analytics), hylomorphic metaphysics (Metaphysics), causation (Physics), virtue ethics (Nicomachean Ethics), philosophy of mind (de Anima), and epistemology (Posterior Analytics).
Assessment: one 5,000 word essay
Place: UCL -- room tbc

NB  This module is only available to UCL students.

Dr Fiona Leigh (UCL)
*20 credits
Meets: tbc (term 2)
The course will focus on Plato's later dialogue, the Sophist, and Fiona Leigh's draft manuscript of a new reading of this dialogue, from start to finish. Issues and topics to be addressed include what is involved in giving a philosophical definition of a kind, the ontological status of mimetic representations, modes of being, the comparative status of Forms and participants, and the nature of falsehood. Some of the central claims to be defended will be that the method of collection and division and the more analytic method of dialectic are compatible, Forms are treated as causes, not universals, in the dialogue, and not‐being is analysed as equivalent to difference
Assessment: one 5,000 word essay
Place: UCL -- room tbc

Dr Hugh Bowden (KCL)
*20 credits
Meets: tbc (Term 1)
What can the mythology of the ancient Greeks tell us about ancient Greek social, cultural and religious organization, or about their understanding of the world? Can it tell us anything about humankind more generally? These questions have been asked by scholars in a range of disciplines from anthropology to psychology and beyond, and this module examines some of the answers they have come up with. The module does not offer a survey of Greek mythology itself, or focus on individual literary works as such, but concentrates on the ways that Greek myths have been interpreted from the nineteenth century onwards. This module is partner to 7AACM420 Greek Religion: Culture & Cognition, and it is recommended that the two modules be taken together.
Assessment: one 5,000 word essay.
Place: KCL

Dr Hugh Bowden (KCL)
*20 credits
Meets: tbc (Term 1)
The study of religion has in recent years benefited from insights draw from cognitive anthropology, psychology and other disciplines, all of which make up the area of study referred to as the coginitive science of religion. These new approaches are beginning to be applied to the study of ancient religion, and this module aims to take up some of these ideas and see what light they may cast on the study of ancient Greek religious practices, in particular in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. The module does not offer an overview of Greek religion, and it is intended for students who already have some understanding of the nature of Greek religion. This module is partner to 7AACM420 Greek Religion: Myth & Meaning, and it is recommended that the two modules be taken together.
Assessment: one 5,000 word essay.
Place: KCL

Dr Alexia Petsalis-Diomidis (KCL)
+20 credits
Meets: tbc (Term 2)
Why did the Greeks and Romans undertake long, difficult and often dangerous journeys to worship gods in specific places? What did they do when they arrived at those shrines?  How did they enact and describe their engagement with the gods?  The module tackles this question through an exploration of the rich evidence for pilgrimage in antiquity. In doing so it examines how the Greeks and Romans engaged with sickness, uncertainty and their very bodies.  The evidence used ranges from first hand literary accounts of sacred journeys through the material evidence of cult images, votive offerings, temples and sanctuaries to the rules of ritual which governed pilgrims' behaviour. This fascinating material is analysed both for what it reveals about Graeco-Roman culture and religion and for its connections to Early Christian pilgrimage.  
Assessment: one essay of 3,000 words max. (50%), and two commentaries of 1,000 words max. (50%)
Place: KCL