Kant and Heidegger are two of the most important modern German philosophers.  Kant, writing at the end of the 18th century, has a major influence throughout Western philosophy.  Heidegger, writing in the 20th century, may be understood as providing an original response to Kant’s account of the nature and methods of philosophy.  The module will provide a detailed and critical introduction to the main areas of their work, by means of a careful reading of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason and Heidegger’s Being and Time, and related writings.

The module aims to give students a critical understanding of Kant and Heidegger's mature philosophies, and an understanding of the broader implications that their thought has for our understanding of important philosophical questions and approaches.

• demonstrate a knowledge and critical understanding of core works by Kant and Heidegger, and the inter-relationships between these works.
• demonstrate an ability to read and to interpret critically and with insight Kant's Critique, Heidegger’s Being and Time and related texts, and to recognise their importance to other modern Western philosophers.
• demonstrate an ability to analyse concepts, evaluate arguments and justify interpretations of, and perspectives on, Kant and Heidegger.

Teaching will be through a combination of lectures and seminars, the precise combination being dependent on the size of the class.  Students will be expected to have read selected passages from specified texts prior to seminar classes, to have considered the questions set on that reading, and be able to discuss them.

This module will be taught using printed books and journal articles available online (e.g. via Learning Central) and from the library.

Timetabled sessions will be supplemented with written material in the form of a detailed summary of the session content, questions and/or instructions for discussion and a list of further reading. This supplementary material will be provided in the form of a printed handout and on Learning Central. Any supplementary material in a permanent form (e.g. a paper handout or downloadable document) will be made available either at the beginning of the session or 24 hours before the session.

Images, diagrams, sound, video or other multimedia resources will not be used in this module.

Intellectual Skills:

• The ability to interpret texts
• The ability to appraise and assess arguments
• The ability to reach conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of arguments and to justify these conclusions with sound reasoning and detailed interpretations of source material
• The ability to form a consistent position about questions raised in the module

Discipline Specific Skills:

• The ability to analyse and construct philosophical arguments
• The ability to interpret philosophical texts
• The ability to deploy appropriate philosophical vocabulary
• The ability to use (and derive value from) Kant and Heidegger's arguments, as well as commentaries on and responses to Kant and Heidegger's work.

Transferable Skills:

• The ability to analyse arguments
• The ability to read texts in a creative and disciplined manner
• The ability to communicate clearly and accurately in written work
• The ability to present work that has a logical structure
• The ability to form their own views and argue independent positions

Students will develop employability skills which include the ability to synthesise information, operating in group-based discussion involving negotiating ideas and producing clear, informed arguments in a professional manner.

The formative assessment for this module will take the form of:

1. One mock examination essay on a specified topic to be selected from a list of mock examination questions.  This essay should be written within a strict time limit of one and a half hours and then be re-drafted in electronic form as a word format document or equivalent.  The essay must then be submitted electronically to the module tutor by the dates specified on the question list. Essays submitted after these dates, without good cause, may not be marked in time for the revision period. Essays will be returned via email.

1. The assembling of a bibliography and notes in preparation for seminars and as a revision resource for mock examination and final summative assessment. Students will be expected to attend seminars with material prepared in advance for contribution to seminar discussion.  This material will be derived from texts selected for each seminar and from secondary material.  Students are encouraged to supplement stipulated reading through their own independent research for this formative component.  Students should be prepared and willing to discuss their readings and researches in seminars.   A form will be provided to assist with this task copies of which will be submitted to the module tutor.

The summative assessment for this module will take the form of a 3 hour examination.

In the written examination the student will answer two questions from a list of twelve to twenty questions.  The examination paper will be divided into two sections, A and B.  Section A will be devoted to Kant; Section B will be devoted to Heidegger.  Students must answer one question from each section. 

The examination will be an open book examination, with students allowed to bring copies of Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time and Basic Writings and Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, Critique of Judgement, and Perpetual Peace and Other Essays to the examination.

This module is assessed according to the Marking Criteria set out in the Philosophy Undergraduate Student Handbook. There are otherwise no academic or competence standards which limit the availability of adjustments or alternative assessments for students with disabilities.

Kant and Heidegger are two of the most important modern German philosophers.  Kant, writing at the end of the 18th century, has a major influence throughout Western philosophy.  Heidegger, writing in the 20th century, may be understood as providing an original response to Kant’s account of the nature and methods of philosophy.  The module will provide a detailed and critical introduction to the main areas of their work, by means of a careful reading of Kant’s Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics and of Heidegger’s Being and Time and related writings.

I. Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, trans. Norman Kemp Smith (Palgrave Macmillan).

I. Kant, Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics which will be able to come forth as a Science (any edition).

I. Kant, Critique of Judgement, trans. W.S. Pluhar (Hackett).

I. Kant, Perpetual Peace and Other Essays, ed. & trans. T. Humphrey (Hackett).

M. Heidegger, Basic Writings, Revised and Expanded Etition, e. David Farrell Krell (Routledge).

M.Heidegger, Being and Time, trans. J. MacQuarrie and E. Robinson (Blackwell).

S. Gardner, Routledge Philosophy Guide Book to Kant (Routledge).

S Körner, Kant (Penguin).

R. Chadwick and C. Cazeux (eds.), Immanuel Kant: Critical Assessments, (Routledge).

H. Caygill, A Kant Dictionary (Blackwell).

M. Inwood, A Heidegger Dictionary (Blackwell).

Peter R. Sedgwick, Descartes to Derrida (Blackwell).