Philosophy

Master of Arts in Philosophy

Field(s) of Specialization

Contemporary Continental Philosophy

Eastern Philosophy

Comparative Philosophy

Dean

Carol U. Merriam

Faculty of Humanities

Associate Dean

Elizabeth Vlossak

Faculty of Humanities

Core Faculty

Professors

Christine Daigle, R. Raj Singh, Rajiv Kaushik, Brian Lightbody

Associate Professors

Michael Berman, Athena V. Colman

Graduate Program Director

Rajiv Kaushik

905-688-5550, extension 5311

rkaushik@brocku.ca

Administrative Assistant

Michelle Benson

905-688-5550, extension 4352

International Centre, 573B Glenridge Ave, St. Catharines, ON L2T 4C2

brocku.ca/humanities/philosophy/

Program Description

The Master's program focuses on three areas: recent and contemporary Continental and Asian thought, as well as Comparative philosophy. The program also accommodates the rise in importance of post-structuralist continental thinkers. Such inclusions indicate the type of dynamic rapport the Department wishes to keep with the wider philosophical community. Consequently, the majority of courses offered in any one year will be selected from the following specializations:

Contemporary Continental Philosophy (Existentialism, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Post-Structuralism): Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, Levinas, Gadamer, Foucault, Deleuze, Guattari, Kristeva, Irigaray, Habermas or some contemporary European movement, such as Structuralism, the Frankfurt School, etc.

Eastern Philosophy: Indian and Upanishadic Philosophy: texts from the six orthodox schools of Indian philosophy, especially Vedanta, Early Indian Buddhist traditions, especially the Madhyamika school and Yogacara Buddhism; Bhakti traditions, and Gandhi.

Comparative Philosophy: Comparison of Eastern and Western traditions with respect to problems of being, knowledge, person, values, and philosophical method.

Half-courses and tutorials may be offered on topics that fall outside the principal focus of the graduate program but are represented by individual members of the Department. For example: issues in recent Anglo-American (Analytic) Philosophy, Studies in Classical Philosophy (Pre-Socratics, Plato and/or Aristotle), etc.

Admission Requirements

Successful completion of four-year Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in Philosophy with an average not less than 75%. Applicants must supply a statement of interest. Knowledge of languages other than English may be required as appropriate.

The Graduate Admissions Committee will review all applications and recommend admission for a limited number of suitable candidates.

Individuals interested in part-time study should consult with the Graduate Program Director.

Degree Requirements

Total credits of program: 3.5

Thesis Option:

PHIL 5F90 (Thesis) required registration for each term

Required Courses:

PHIL 5F01

Three (3) 0.5 Credit courses in the Philosophy program

Note: Normally completed in six terms. Thesis candidates are limited to a maximum of one half-credit directed reading course.

MRP Option:

PHIL 5F80 (MRP) required registration for final semesters (at discretion of GPD).

Required Courses:

PHIL 5F01

Three (3) 0.5 Credit courses in the Philosophy program

Course Descriptions

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable timetable for details.

Students must ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

PHIL 5F01

Philosophical Skills and Development

Topics such as the nature of graduate studies, pedagogy, publication practices, conferences, and current academic engagement in the field. This course will include an experiential learning component where students will participate in the departmental colloquium, presenting, defending and honing their philosophical research

Restriction: Seminar, 2 hours per week

Note: Graded by Pass//Fail

PHIL 5F80

Major Research Paper

Research project involving the preparation of a major research paper which shall demonstrate capacity for independent work and original research and thought.

PHIL 5F90

Thesis

Research project involving the preparation and defence of a thesis which shall demonstrate capacity for independent work and original research and thought.

PHIL 5P00

Critical Posthumanism

Study of key critical posthumanist thinkers such as Rosi Braidotti, Karen Barad and Claire Colebrook, including an examination of central concepts such as post-anthropocentric and anti-dualistic thinking, and material entanglement.

PHIL 5P01

Advanced Studies in Political Philosophy

Critical examination of either a particular thinker or problem in political philosophy. Political thinkers may include Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, J. S. Mill, Rawls and Nozick. Problems may include liberty and political organization, justice and equality, human nature and order, civil disobedience, participation and consent, liberalism, anarchism, socialism and conservatism.

PHIL 5P02

Sartre

Study of the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre as discussed in his literary and philosophical works.

PHIL 5P03

Merleau-Ponty

Examination of perceptual and cognitive issues in the moral, aesthetic and phenomenological philosophy of this French thinker. Critical exploration of his reception in the post-structuralist and post-analytic traditions.

PHIL 5P04

Foucault

Study of the earlier and later works of Michel Foucault. Themes discussed may include archaeology, genealogy, discipline, power, knowledge, subjectivity and sexuality.

PHIL 5P05

Nietzsche

Study of the philosophical ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche.

PHIL 5P06

Critical Theory: Frankfurt School

Consideration of Frankfurt School Critical Theory through an examination of its core thinkers, including, but not limited to: Benjamin, Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse, Fromm, Habermas, Honneth.

Note: Completion of this course will replace previously assigned grade in PHIL 5V04.

PHIL 5P07

Husserl and Transcendental Phenomenology

Basic issues and methods of phenomenological philosophy will be studied and explored with reference to some of the major works of Husserl.

PHIL 5P08

Simone de Beauvoir

Study of the philosophical ideas of Simone de Beauvoir.

PHIL 5P09

Habermas

Examination of the philosophical ideas of Jurgen Habermas as found in Philosophical Discourse of Modernity, Truth and Justification, and Post-Metaphysical Thinking.

PHIL 5P15

Heidegger

Study of Martin Heidegger's Being and Time and selected later works on themes such as fundamental ontology, analytic of Dasein, truth, language and art.

PHIL 5P16

Merleau-Ponty and Nagarjuna

Critical development of comparative philosophical analysis. Examination of issues in phenomenology, existentialism and soteriology.

PHIL 5P20

Kant and the 18th Century

Historical study of the thought of Immanuel Kant in the context of the 18th-century enlightenment, normally focusing on Kant's critical philosophy.

PHIL 5P21

Modern Philosophical Studies: Hegel and the 19th Century

Historical study of the thought of Georg W. F. Hegel in the context of the 19th century.

PHIL 5P71

Merleau-Ponty: The Art of Perception

Merleau-Ponty's treatments and analyses of the visual (painting and film) and literary arts, seen as products, explorations and distortions of human perception and embodied subjectivity, which shed light on our cultural and pre-cultural experiences of the world.

PHIL 5P91

Directed Reading I

Research course with directed study and regular meetings with a faculty member, covering topics not offered in a designated course.

PHIL 5P92

Directed Reading II

Research course with directed study and regular meetings with a faculty member, covering topics not offered in a designated course.

PHIL 5V00-5V09

Studies in Contemporary Philosophy

Topics may include a contemporary philosophical genre such as French Feminism or be focused more narrowly on a single contemporary philosopher, for example, Freud or Deleuze.

PHIL 5V09

The Phenomenology of Justus Buchler

Examination of key concepts in the works of Buchler, such as experience, nature, judgment, query, and natural complexes.

PHIL 5V20-5V29

Advanced Studies in Comparative Philosophy

Focuses primarily on the comparison of philosophical figures, concepts, and problems from both contemporary continental thought as well as eastern thought (e.g., Buddhism, Vedanta, Taoism).

PHIL 5V30-5V45

Advanced Studies in Eastern Philosophy

Concentrated critical and interpretive study of selected texts in the areas of: Advaita Vedanta, Yoga, Madhyamika and Yogacara schools of Buddhism, or Chinese Philosophy.

PHIL 5V34

Advanced Vedanta

Advanced examination of the sources and prominent schools of this central Indian philosophy; readings may include selections from the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita, Samkara, Ramanuja and Madhava.

PHIL 5V41

Gandhi on Being and Non-violence

Gandhi's contribution to philosophy and his original ontological contemplation on the concepts of Being as such and the grounds of non-violence.

PHIL 5V50-5V59

Advanced Studies in Contemporary Philosophy

Examination of current trends in philosophy and cultural issues. Topics may include 21st century aesthetics, artificial intelligence and phenomenology, or socio-environmental challenges.