Philosophy

60 - 120.

Faculty of Philosophy

35

See skills profile

Students must be in possession of all the necessary credits to be awarded a degree. They must also be able to demonstrate that they have studied the subjects offered in the foundation modules otherwise they must first study and pass these subjects.

The Masters program in Philosophy and Classical Studies is designed primarily for students with a degree in:
1) Philosophy
2) The Classics (Greek, Latin, and the Semitic languages)
3) Literature and Literary Theory
However, graduates from other disciplines may also be admitted provided they satisfy the admission tutors that they have the necessary knowledge to start the program. These students may, where necessary, be required to take the foundation modules.

Students enrolling for the Masters can register for one of three options each of which offers a set of general skills. Some of these are cross-disciplinary in nature and are common to the three options, while others are more specialized.
Cross-disciplinary skills
- The ability to apply the concepts acquired to new situations and problems.
- Creative skills and the ability to think originally.
- The ability to interrelate various fields of study.
- The ability to think analytically and to solve complex problems.
- The ability to be critical and self-critical.
- The ability to work as a member of a team.
- The mastery of oral and written communication techniques.
- The ability to communicate efficiently, clearly and rigorously ideas, plans and conclusions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- The ability to determine the training needs of a given group.
- The ability to listen and follow complex presentations.
- The ability to read and understand a wide range of written texts.
- The ability to exploit library resources efficiently.
- The ability to memorize relevant information for subsequent use.
- The ability to organize a complex body of data.
- The ability to work to specific deadlines.
- Wide-ranging competence, at user level, of information technologies.

Specific skills acquired by students registering for the research option
- The ability to work with classical texts in their original language.
- Mastery of the tools used in the specialized study of texts and documents from a range of periods.
- Knowledge of the main topics of debate in current philosophical and philological research.
- The ability to identify evidence of the survival of classical culture in the present.
- Proficiency in at least two of the foreign languages currently used in classical studies (English, French, German or Italian).
- Mastery of bibliographic resources.
- Mastery of computer and telematic resources.
- The ability to undertake critical text revisions.
- The ability to synthesize, analyse and construct a cogent argument and to detect fallacies.
- The ability to recognize methodological errors, meaningless rhetoric, conventionalities, tacit assumptions, conceptual vagueness and superficiality.
- Methodological and expository rigour in the interpretation of classical texts and in solving the problems they pose.
- The ability to produce a personal perspective based on an expert understanding of philosophical and literary traditions and the existing literature.
- The capacity to go beyond the borders of traditional fields, while remaining aware of both the limitations and strengths of other disciplines and techniques.

Specific skills acquired by students registering for the professional option

- Broad knowledge of the fundamental concepts of the classical tradition and the ability to compare and contrast these with ideas in current use.
- Goodknowledge of the different periods of the classical tradition.
- Broad knowledge of the classical authors.
- The ability to understand and integrate the common cultural elements comprising the European tradition.
- Good knowledge of philosophical and philological terminology.
- The ability to identify underlying issues.
- Clarity and expository rigour in the critical evaluation of arguments.
- The ability to analyse unfamiliar ideas and ways of thinking and to examine assumptions and methods critically.
- The ability to pass from generalizations to a more detailed discussion, providing examples that support or refute a point of view.
- The ability to recognize rapidly when historical doctrines can be used to illustrate contemporary discussions.
- The ability to identify elements of philosophical and philological debate outside academia.