Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL3052: Epistemology

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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Cartesian scepticism; foundationalism and coherentism; epistemic virtues and epistemic value; social epistemology; a posteriori and a priori knowledge; disagreement.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	22	11 x 2hs weekly seminars
Guided Independent Study	45	Weekly assigned readings
Guided Independent Study	10	Preparation for class discussion
Guided Independent Study	23	Preparation for essay
Guided Independent Study	50	Preparation for final examination

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Basic texts:

Pritchard, D. What is this thing called knowledge? Routledge, 2006.

Descartes, R. Meditations on first philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 1996/1647

Greco, J. ‘Virtues and vices of virtue epistemology’, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 23:413-432, 1993

Sosa, E. ‘The raft and the pyramid: coherence versus foundations in the theory of knowledge’, Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 5(1):3-16, 1980