Course details

The MA offers students the opportunity to explore Western philosophical thought from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. It should appeal both to those who want an overview of the foundations of modern European thought, and to those with more specialized interests in Medieval and Renaissance studies, philosophy, or the history of ideas. Building upon the strengths of critical thinking, systematic reflection, and historical awareness developed at undergraduate level, the programme allows the student to explore thematic concerns of philosophers in the Western tradition from medieval times to the sixteenth century. The MA degree (Mode I) in Philosophy is taken by examination (100% continuous assessment) and by minor thesis, the topic of which must be in the subjects of Medieval or Renaissance Philosophy and approved by the Head of the Department. The dissertation comprises a maximum of 15,000 words, and is assessed by the supervisor and the external examiner.

Entry Requirements

Overall Grade 2.2 (or equivalent) in UG degree in Philosophy or a cognate subject.

Applicants must have a recognised primary degree which is considered equivalent to Irish university primary degree level.

Minimum English language requirements:

  • IELTS: 6.5 minimum overall score
  • TOEFL (Paper based test): 585
  • TOEFL (Internet based test): 95
  • PTE (Pearson): 62

Module

Year 1

  • PG510 THE NATURAL LAW: CONTEMPORARY CONVERSATIONS
  • PG466 CULTURE AND RELIGION: A CRITICAL READING OF CHARLES TAYLORÂ’S SOURCES OF THE SELF
  • PG471 THE ETHICS OF WAR AND CONFLICT
  • PG465 HUMAN RIGHTS AND GLOBALISATION
  • NEW POLITICS IN THE RENAISSANCE: MACHIAVELLI
  • METHODS IN PHENOMENOLOGY
  • THE EARLY PHILOSOPHY OF EDITH STEIN
  • READING MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
  • PHILOSOPHICAL SEMINAR
  • READING AQUINAS
  • NIETZSCHE AND HIS LEGACY
  • DISSERTATION

Year 2

  • METHODS IN PHENOMENOLOGY
  • THE EARLY PHILOSOPHY OF EDITH STEIN
  • READING MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
  • PHILOSOPHICAL SEMINAR
  • READING AQUINAS
  • NIETZSCHE AND HIS LEGACY
  • NEW POLITICS IN THE RENAISSANCE: MACHIAVELLI
  • PG510 THE NATURAL LAW: CONTEMPORARY CONVERSATIONS
  • PG466 CULTURE AND RELIGION: A CRITICAL READING OF CHARLES TAYLORÂ’S SOURCES OF THE SELF
  • PG471 THE ETHICS OF WAR AND CONFLICT
  • PG465 HUMAN RIGHTS AND GLOBALISATION
  • DISSERTATION
Updated on 08 November, 2015

About Maynooth University

This means that students at Maynooth benefit from an international outlook, and those of you who wish to study abroad for a semester or an academic year during yTheir degree have a network of connections to tap in to. During the cTheirse of their academic degree students from Maynooth have studied subjects such as Law at Boston College, Mandarin Chinese at Beijing Foreign Studies University and Music in the University of Vienna.

Maynooth has many shared research projects with universities around the world.

  • In the Dept of Psychology, Prof Dermot Barnes-Holmes is working with academics in Columbia University in New York to predict the success of cocaine abuse treatment.
  • Mathematician Dr. Ken Duffy is working with immunologists from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in MelbTheirne, Australia to analyse cell behaviTheir in a study that could have significant implications for Their understanding and treatment of diseases like Coeliac disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.  
  • Historian Dr Tom O Connor is working with colleagues from the University of Alcala and the Irish Colleges in Spain, discovering the hidden stories of Irish people who got caught up in the Spanish Inquisition.
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