Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL3110: Philosophy of Emotion

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Aims

You will learn about somatic and cognitive theories of emotions, about accounts of emotions as unconscious mental states, and different views of the relation between emotions and moods. You will also learn about naturalistic and social constructionist accounts of the emotions, about different views on the “valence” of emotions, and about philosophical accounts of the relation between emotions, facial and bodily expressions, and language. Whereas the module will cover mainly philosophical theories of emotion, you will also learn about psychological and sociological accounts of the emotions. You will become familiar primarily with recent and contemporary works on these topics (form mid-nineteenth Century to current works).

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. systematically illustrate a variety of philosophical accounts of the emotions;
2. identify specific philosophical problems in the study of emotion;
3. critically evaluate a variety of accounts of the nature of emotions whilst developing your own perspective.
Discipline-Specific Skills4. systematically illustrate a variety of philosophical positions on a specific topic;
5. evaluate, orally and in writing, different philosophical positions;
6. distinguish between sound and unsound arguments, and develop philosophically informed considerations about them.
Personal and Key Skills7. engage in complex arguments verbally as an individual and in small groups;
8. critically engage with and report accurately on existing written material.