Important Thinkers through History
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| ARTFF021 | Foundation Arts | 0 | 20 | Full Year UK |
- Code
- ARTFF021
- School
- Foundation Arts
- Level
- 0
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Full Year UK
Summary
In every field of the Arts and Humanities there are significant people who have not only informed their own disciplines, but also contributed to the intellectual and cultural development of humanity. This module will consider a selection of such 'important thinkers', drawn from different disciplines, across a broad sweep of history and representing a variety of cultural and geographical contexts. We will critically engage with several themes from the Arts and Humanities and, where possible, draw attention to how common themes have been treated similarly or differently at various times and in diverse places.
Coursework assessments will replace all failed assessment components at the reassessment stage.
Target Students
Available for Foundation students in the Faculty of Arts only
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 20 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 20 weeks
Assessment
- 40% Coursework 1: One poster
- 60% Coursework 2: One essay of up to 1800 words
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to provide brief introductions to important thinkers from disciplines across the Faculty of Arts and to study some of their most significant ideas. We will explore questions such as: What makes a thinker important? Why are some figures, but not others, considered important? What are the ideas that made them influential? Are those ideas correct, or indeed important, and why? We will consider how common and different themes are tackled in various disciplines within the Arts and Humanities, while also reflecting on the development of ideas through history and across cultures and on the question of what makes a thinker important. In addition, the module also aims to help you develop some skills and practices which will assist you in the transition to your undergraduate degree, will aid you in understanding the expectations you will have to meet when studying for that degree in the Arts and Humanities, and will contribute to your development as thoughtful and responsible citizens: reading and listening, critically analysing and discussing the ideas of others, reflecting and sharing your own ideas, providing support for your ideas and constructing arguments, respectfully working and debating with peers. Through our lectures and seminars, we will be engaging in such practices in a respectful, inclusive, and friendly environment.Learning Outcomes
It is expected that by the end of the module, students will be able to:
(Knowledge and understanding) -
1 outline some of the key issues that arise in various disciplines within the Faculty of Arts;
2 describe a number of important thinkers from different periods and cultures and summarise their intellectual contributions;
(Intellectual skills) -
3 analyse complex ideas and arguments encountered in the relevant literature;
4 evaluate the views of others and construct their own sustained arguments;
(Transferable skills) -
5 draw from a range of disciplines to inform their own thinking and arguments;
6 present information clearly in a range of different formats.