Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in Philosophy. More specifically, it will appeal to:
- Students who have taken the Institute’s Advanced Diploma (FHEQ level 6) courses.
- Students particularly interested in, amongst other things, the History of Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language, Existentialism and Continental Philosophy.
- Anyone wishing to improve their analytic, critical and creative thinking, or anyone wishing to progress to further postgraduate study in Philosophy.
Aims of the course
The Postgraduate Certificate in Philosophy aims to:
- Provide students with specialist knowledge and understanding of philosophical ideas and concepts at the frontiers of philosophical debate and research;
- Enable students to acquire and develop the skills necessary to conduct critical analysis and evaluation at the highest levels; and
- Develop the student’s ability to analyse and evaluate different methods for conducting independent and collaborative research.
What will I be studying?
The Postgraduate Certificate is divided into three units which are structured chronologically spanning philosophical thought, ancient to modern. Each of the 3 units is taught via a 2-day teaching block and an individual supervision. Students are expected to attend all of the teaching blocks and their supervisions throughout the year.
Unit 1: Ancient Greek Philosophy - Know thyself!": Classical educational priorities from Plato to the Middle Ages
In this unit, students will explore the role philosophy has played in informing educational practice. Students will explore the way in which philosophy promotes both an inward-looking approach (the cultivation of the individual through self-reflection and self-understanding, often motivated by searching, 'maieutic' questioning by others) and an outward-looking moment of social engagement, dialogue and action. The principle at work here is that positive contributions to community and society are best accomplished by individuals who 'know themselves'. In individual supervisions, students will be tasked with understanding the contemporary application of this thinking.
Dates of the in-person teaching:
8th and 9th October 10-5 pm (GMT) 2022
The teaching block will be followed by an individual supervision (to be arranged by student and supervisor).
Unit 2: Early Modern Philosophy – Kant on Reason and Intuition
How is knowledge acquired? How should the philosopher proceed in understanding the world? This unit will explore Kant’s answers to these questions and place them in the context of 18th-century discourses on the role of reason for philosophical speculation. In class, students will undertake a detailed examination of Kant’s 'On a Newly Arisen Superior Tone in Philosophy’, and ask: can philosophical knowledge be obtained through a private intuition? In individual supervisions, students will further discuss the methodology of philosophical work, and ask: what should be the “tone” of philosophy today?
Dates of the in-person teaching:
4th and 5th February 10-5 pm (GMT) 2023
The teaching block will be followed by an individual supervision (to be arranged by student and supervisor).
Unit 3: Existentialism – Kierkegaard’s Existential Thought
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) has been called ‘the father of existentialism’. Certainly, his work has been pivotal for major subsequent figures in European Philosophy, from Husserl and Heidegger to Sartre and Merleau-Ponty, Derrida and Deleuze. But Kierkegaard’s contributions are difficult to pin down, not least because of the ways his enigmatic texts resist interpretation in terms of theories and doctrines. This final unit will introduce Kierkegaard’s idea of a radical alternative to systematic philosophy. Topics covered will include: the limits of reason, the use of ethical exemplars, the earnest thought of death, and the essence of tragedy.
13th and 14th May 10-5 pm (GMT) 2023
The teaching block will be followed by an individual supervision (to be arranged by student and supervisor).
Additional information
Although this is a non-residential course, students requiring residential accommodation may be able to book Bed & Breakfast at Madingley Hall, as availability permits, at a discounted student rate. Should you be offered a place on the course further information will be sent about how to book pre-allocated accommodation. Please do not book accommodation directly via the Madingley Hall website as there might not be room availability via this route.
This course will require a minimum number of students in order to run. Applicants for this course will be notified by August 2022 if the course is not going to be running at which point students will be offered a refund of the fees they have paid so far (please see our Cancellation policy).
If you would like an informal discussion on academic matters before making your application, please contact the Course Director, Dr Alex Carter (ac991@cam.ac.uk).
Dr Alex Carter is Academic Director for Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies at the Institute of Continuing Education. He is a Bye-Fellow at Fitzwilliam College. Alex was awarded his PhD in Philosophy by the University of Essex in 2015; his thesis explores some of the surprising aspects of Wittgenstein’s views concerning freedom and fatalism. Before this, Alex studied Philosophy at the University of Wales, Swansea and the University of Bristol.
Alex's approach to teaching is to encourage students to feel the "pain of the problem” - to make plain the very real ways in which philosophical problems affect our lives. Accordingly, Alex is most keen to offer his support to philosophical projects that, not only inform contemporary debates, but actively affect change. Alex's ongoing research interests include Wittgenstein’s later philosophy, the theology of Simone Weil and the philosophy of humour. He is currently researching the relationship between humour and creative practice via the concept of ’serious play’.
