Module manager: Alba Curry
Email: A.A.CercasCurry@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
PHIL2221 Ancient Philosophy
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module is designed to develop your critical engagement with major figures and texts in Ancient Philosophy. It uses techniques of critical, historically- and philosophically-informed interpretation to identify claims and arguments from classical antiquity, and to evaluate these for their merits, both relative to their own context and for their ongoing significance and applicability today. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The primary objectives are (1) to develop your understanding of some of the major themes in Ancient Philosophy, the key thinkers involved, and the texts in which they developed and defended their competing views; (2) to deepen your ability to interpret those texts, critically engaging with rival interpretative views, and evaluating their merits; (3) to develop your own critical perspective on these texts and issues, reconstructing the claims and arguments in ancient texts in the most plausible way and evaluating them for their merits both relative to their own context and as options for us to adopt today.
These will be achieved through a mix of interactive lectures and seminars. The lectures introduce the core concepts, readings and arguments, and model the critically-engaged interpretation of ancient texts, including how to identify and evaluate rival interpretative and philosophical positions. The seminars train you in interpreting texts for yourselves, in reconstructing ancient claims and arguments, in identifying competing interpretations, and in defending your own critical perspective on those claims and arguments, including adjudicating disagreements both among the ancient thinkers, and among their modern interpreters.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Summarise how the ancient thinkers argued in support of their different views on some of the themes covered in the module.
2. Defend your own preferred interpretation of the claims and arguments in key passages of ancient text against relevant alternatives.
3. Defend, against relevant alternatives, your own philosophical evaluation of the key claims and arguments of the texts covered, both relative to their original context and as options for us today.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Communicate ideas and understanding clearly and concisely, using appropriate academic language (Academic and Work Ready skill)
5. Critically analyse source material and demonstrate independence of thought (Academic and Work Ready skill)
6. Search for and utilise appropriate material to support knowledge and analysis of topics (Academic, Work Ready, Digital and Sustainability skill)
The syllabus will comprise a number of key topics relevant to some broad thematic area of Ancient Philosophy, covering two or more landmark thinkers or schools of thought from antiquity (e.g. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics).
The syllabus may change from year to year to cover different broad areas of ancient philosophical thought (e.g. ethics and politics; mind and psychology; epistemology; metaphysics; rhetoric and emotion).
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Seminar | 7 | 2 | 14 |
| Private study hours | 178 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students are required in seminars to contribute every week to small-group presentations that cover the interpretation of passages of ancient text, reconstruction of claims and arguments, and philosophical engagement with those claims and arguments. These tasks exactly mirror what is required of students in the summative assessment. They receive feedback both from the module teaching staff and from peers on what they present in these tasks, and have the opportunity to learn in real-time, adjusting their interpretative and philosophical position in response to feedback.
In addition to the formative feedback available to students in student hours and seminar-based activities, each student is invited to complete ONE piece of formative work which will receive written feedback. Students are given a choice of four options: essay plan; critical comment on a passage of ancient text; exposition of a philosophical argument; objection and reply.
To ensure that students get the formative feedback that they need, they are asked before choosing from the four options listed above, to read and reflect on (i) the feedback they received in previous summative assessments, (ii) the PRHS marking criteria and (iii) the specific guidance provided on the summative assessment in this module. This requires students to critically engage with previous feedback and current expectations, and then to play an active role in honing their knowledge and skill development.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 25/04/2025
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