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Competing interpretations of what makes us who we are
Module details
- Offered to Year 3 and Year 4 students
- Thursdays, 16.00-18.00
- Planned delivery: On campus (South Kensington)
- Two-term module, worth 5 ECTS
- Available to eligible students as part of I-Explore
- Extra Credit, or Degree Credit where your department allows
Got any questions?
Contact the lecturer:
Dr Matthew Wraith
‘Being Human’ approaches the question of human nature and human identity in both contemporary debate and philosophical tradition. We will look at issues of gender, race, sexuality, mental health, technology, zoology, and more, asking what human beings are and how best to explain their behaviour.
Answering these questions means thinking seriously about how we human beings differ from other animals, how we differ from machines, but also fundamentally how we differ from each other: is ‘human nature’ universal, or does it vary from culture to culture, and through history? Are differences of gender, race, sexuality the result of our nature or of our social conditioning?
These questions become more urgent as we move into an historical era where we can alter ourselves, our identities and even our own bodies in ever more sophisticated ways. This module brings together insights from philosophy, biology, psychology, engineering, and sociology to try to figure out who we are.
Please note: The information on this module description is indicative. The module may undergo minor modifications before the start of the coming academic year.
Information blocks
By the end of the module, you will be better prepared to:
- explain the historical development of societies’ changing conception of human nature, human identity and the human condition;
- navigate between the competing interpretations of human nature and human behaviour given by different disciplines, e.g. sociology and cultural studies, medicine, evolutionary biology, bio-engineering;
- apply theories of human nature to a range of contemporary controversies, policy questions and debates within contemporary culture;
- assess the impacts of a zoological understanding of Homo Sapiens on traditional conceptions of human nature, human identity and the human condition;
- evaluate the impacts of new technologies, new scientific understandings, and emerging social and political developments on traditional conceptions of human nature, human identity and the human condition.
The module takes an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of human nature, employing different methods of enquiry, which produce very different results and trying to navigate between them. The module asks students to take their scientific understanding of what human beings are and compare and contrast it with cultural and social conceptions of human: are gender differences, for example, the result of hormonal differences or social conditioning.
- It begins with a brief overview of philosophical approaches within the humanist tradition in contrast to alternative approaches in science. It then applies these contested ideas to human identities and subcategories such as gender, race, sexuality, mental health.
- Spring term will look at the human animal, examining human beings through the lens of zoology and socio-biology.
- Finally, we will look at the human machine, examining our nature through the lens of technology and bioengineering, and how this might change our nature in the future.
You will learn from a range of disciplines: philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, zoology, medicine. This will help you develop and communicate a clear understanding of issues and identities that are being contested in political, workplace and social settings.
All classes will feature collective discussion time prominently. The majority of class time will be student-led. Classes will feature repeated smaller group discussions to allow you to develop ideas with each other and develop learning relationships.
As human difference is one of the module’s primary fields of study, you will be invited to draw on your own background and cultural perspectives so we can use the diversity of the Imperial student body to enrich learning. We will be addressing areas of controversy in contemporary debates but always with a view to achieving clarity rather than contention. Together we will foster a classroom atmosphere where you can safely discuss your own experiences and perspectives and constructively critique those of others.
The module examines and takes part in contemporary debates taking place on a diversity of different media. We will thus be looking at a whole range of different digital sources, though always with a sceptical eye regarding their potential biases, agendas, and potential hazards.
An abundance of module materials, further literature, examples for discussion, and lecture slides will be available through the university’s Virtual Learning Environment and library interfaces. We may also make use of the ‘discussion’ function on our Virtual Learning Environment, where you can carry on the discussion after class has finished.
- Coursework: 10-15 minute recorded oral presentation (50%)
- Coursework: 1,500-2,000-word essay (50%)
- Requirements: You are expected to attend all classes and undertake approximately 85 hours of independent study in total during the module. Independent study includes reading and preparation for classes, researching and writing coursework assignments and preparing for other assessments.
- This module is designed as an undergraduate Level 6 module. For an explanation of levels, view the Imperial Horizons Level Descriptors page.