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Faculties & Departments
Department of Philosophy
Postgraduate Handbook
Notice Boards:
The Department’s notice boards are an important method of communicating with students. Useful information (seminars, conferences and funding opportunities) will be posted there from time to time. Students should consult these notice boards regularly.
Student Emails:
Students should consult their email account regularly, as this is an important means of communication with the university. The personal student email account is received at registration.
Subject Librarian:
Andrew Sliney (3897) is the subject librarian for Philosophy.
Staff-Student Liaison Committee:
MA’s and Research Students each nominate among themselves a representative for this committee. The Staff is represented by the Head of Department and by one other member of staff.
MA in Philosophy
Entry Requirements:
Candidates for the taught MA should normally have a BA Honours degree with at least Second Class Honours Grade 2 in Philosophy or its equivalent.
MA Seminars:
- PH602 Methods in Phenomenology
- PH604 The Early Philosophy of Edith Stein
- PH606 Medieval Philosophy
- PH608 The 'Theological Turn' in Contemporary Philosophy
- PH609 Kant's First Critique
- PH610 Philosophical Seminar.
The weekly seminars are of two hours each, three in the first semester and three in the second. Students are also expected to attend the Invited Speakers Seminar (Thursdays at 12.00, as advertised on notice boards) and all lectures organised by the Department as this is part of the requirement for the module.
MA Dissertation:
The dissertation comprises a maximum of 15,000 words, and is assessed by the supervisor and the external examiner.
The MA dissertation is the feature of the MA Programme that affords students the highest opportunity for academic growth. Each candidate selects a topic in consultation with a supervisor, as soon as possible after beginning the course. You should decide on the general area of interest by November. During the month of November you should approach one or more members of staff to discuss the general shape of your project, and to ask for advice in arriving at a firm decision regarding the topic of your work. You should communicate your choice to the Head of Department, who may wish to achieve a desirable spread of supervised students among staff. In the normal case your choice of supervisor will be respected by the Department. During the month of December you should draw up a bibliography which represents an attainable research goal. You should settle on a title, and write a provisional abstract (2 pages). During the month of January, when there are no seminars, you should make significant progress. The body of the dissertation should be completed before the Easter break. From Easter until the beginning of June, it is the experience of most candidates that the preparation for the examination portion of the degree requirement rules out working on the dissertation. The dissertation should be submitted July 31st, if you wish to graduate within the year (i.e. at the September Conferring).
The role of the supervisor is an advisory one, with the aim of helping you to plan your own research and to present it. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain regular contact with the supervisor and to make satisfactory progress in their research and writing of the dissertation. Supervision is provided by the Department during term time only. Students should keep in mind that lecturers may not be available outside of term. Before submitting their dissertation the student is strongly advised obtain confirmation from the supervisor that the work is ready to be submitted.
Presentation and referencing is the same as for the M.Litt. and Ph.D. theses (see the following section). See also the document ‘Recommendations for the Presentation of Major Postgraduate Theses’ that can be obtained from the Examinations Office (or downloaded from its section of the NUI web site).
The MA Dissertation counts for 33% of the marks.
Marking scheme for MA:
First Class Honours: 70%
Second Class, Grade I: 60%
Second Class Grade II: 50%
Pass: 40%.
M.Litt. and Ph.D.
Entry requirements:
Candidates for research degrees will normally be expected to have a Second Class Honours Grade 1 primary degree in Philosophy, or a Second Class Honours MA degree with some qualification in philosophy. Candidates should formulate a project and are accepted on the understanding that a member of the Department is able and willing to supervise them on this project.
Students who wish to take a Ph.D. will normally be registered for the M.Litt., and if their progress is deemed satisfactory at the midway evaluation, they may be raised to doctoral level.
Language Requirements:
Research students are expected to have some knowledge of the language of the author or authors, whose work they intend to research. It is strongly recommended that they build up such knowledge to proficiency level during their studies.
Working towards a Research Degree:
The University’s ‘Ph.D. Student Supervisory Policy’ is now operative. It can be accessed at the University's website. It formalises roles and responsibilities of student, supervisor, department and university..
The Department recommends the following guide:
Patrick Dunleavy, Authoring a PhD. How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation, (Palgrave MacMillan: Basingstoke, 2003)
A copy of the book can be consulted at the Departmental Office. It is important to also consult and comply with the Ph.D. Regulations, which can be obtained from the Examinations Office, or downloaded from its web site.
The completion of a Research Degree falls into four stages:
Stage 1: Admission
A Research student must contact the Department and a prospective Supervisor before registration and satisfy them that they fulfil the entry requirements. A provisional title and topic must be agreed upon and, if desirable, additional supervisors contacted.
An agreement must be reached immediately after registration between the Head of Department, Main Supervisor and Student about a series of courses/seminars that the student may be required to complete, in view of the research undertaken. All research students are required to attend the Invited Speakers Seminar (Thursdays, 12.00). Research students may be offered the possibility of tutoring in the Department. They may also be requested to make a presentation in the Invited Speakers Series.
Stage 2: Progress Evaluation
After the first year of registration, the research project must be presented to two members of staff, one of whom is the main Supervisor, in order to assess the student’s progress, to ensure that the research project is viable, and to decide whether the student should work towards an M.Litt. or a Ph.D.. This assessment includes the elaboration of a written Research Project (approximately 4000 words, excl. bibliography), including reflections on:
- Topic
- Method
- Sources
- State of Contemporary Scholarship on the Topic
- Outline of the Argument that will be Defended
- Plan of the Thesis
- Plan of Action
- Draft Bibliography
Stage 3: Thesis Submission
The Thesis is to be researched, finished and submitted under the Supervisor’s supervision. It may not be submitted before the supervisor has given his or her consent that the thesis, as submitted, has been carried out and prepared for examination under his or her supervision.
Candidates studying full-time should aim to complete the PhD degree within four years from the date of acceptance. Candidates wishing to register for a fifth or subsequent year of PhD study should apply in writing to the Registrar with the support of both supervisor and Head of Department, presenting justification for and extension.
Stage 4: Viva Voce (for Ph.D. students)
The board of examiners consists of two internal examiners (normally the supervisor and the professor or the latter’s nominee) and one external, nominated by the Academic Council on the proposal of the Head of Department. The Chair is a permanent member of academic staff (who is not one of the internal examiners). It is the function of the Chair to ensure fairness to all parties during the examination, and to ensure that a Joint Report on the recommendation of the Examiners is drawn up and sent to the Registrar.
The examination is designed to elicit information on the following issues:
- Explanation of the structure of the Thesis
- Justification for the inclusion or exclusion of material
- Explanation for, and justification of, the use of particular research methods and techniques
- Defence of the originality of the Thesis
- Clarification of any points of ambiguity within the Thesis
- Justification of the conceptual approach taken in the Thesis
- The depth of knowledge of the contextual background to the subject of the Thesis.
Interlibrary Loans Policy
€50 is set aside pr. postgraduate for inter library loans.
Attendance at Conferences
The Dean’s Fund offers some funding for students’ attendance at conferences. See web-site for details (www.nuim.ie/research/research/funding).
Studying Abroad
The Department recommends study abroad, and where possible attempts to facilitate a period of such study.
Marking Scheme for M.Litt.
First Class: 70 %
Second Class, Grade I: 60 %
Second Class, Grade II: 50%
Pass: 40 %
Ph.D. Graduation
Candidates studying full-time should aim to complete the PhD degree within four years from the date of acceptance. Candidates wishing to register for a fifth or subsequent year of PhD study should apply in writing to the Registrar/Academic council with the support of both supervisor and Head of Department, presenting justification for an extension. It is advisable for Ph.D. students to collaborate closely with their supervisor in particular in the final stages before submission. The thesis should not be submitted without the supervisor’s acceptance of the final version.
The Registrar (Examination Office) forwards for examination to each of the Examiners a copy of the Ph.D. Thesis, together with a copy of the 300-word summary, a report form and a copy of the Ph.D. regulations.
The responsibilities of the Examiners are to ensure: 1. The thesis is assessed by standards appropriate for the Ph.D. degree; 2. The student in his/her Viva Voce is assessed by standards appropriate for the Ph.D. degree; 3. A report on the thesis and Viva is forwarded by the Chair of the Examination Board to the Registrar (Examinations Office) within two weeks following the Viva Voce.
Before making their report to the Academic Council, the Examiners should consult with one another and they must conduct an oral examination. The Viva Voce Examination will be chaired by a permanent member of academic staff of the University who has not been appointed as an Internal Examiner. The role of the Chair is to ensure that integrity and fairness is maintained by all parties during the Viva Voce Examination. It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure a Joint Report on the recommendation of the Examiners is sent to the Registrar (Examination Office) for inclusion under Registrar’s Business. Where the Examiners' recommendations are not unanimous, the Academic Council may:
- Accept a majority recommendation (provided that the majority recommendation includes at least one external examiner);
- Accept the recommendation of the external examiner; or
- Require the appointment of an additional external examiner.
The Degree of Ph.D. will not be awarded unless the Examiners report that the work is worthy of publication, in full or in part, as a work of serious scholarship.
If the viva voce is successfully passed, the degree of Ph.D. is granted.
Full details of these regulations are available at the Research Studies website: http://graduatestudies.nuim.ie/current/policy_PhdResearchStudentSupervisoryPolicy.shtml
Presentation of Thesis
(MA, M. Litt. and Ph.D.)
The thesis must include:
1. Title page
2. Table of Contents
3. Author’s Declaration:
I hereby declare that this project represents my own work and has not been submitted, in whole or in part, by me or by another person, for the purpose of obtaining any credit/grade. I agree that this project may be made available to future students of the College. (The declaration should be signed and dated.)
4. Bibliography
5. Abstract (500 words)
The title page must give the following information:
1. Student’s Name
2. Title of Work
3. Supervisor’s Name
4. A Statement that the Thesis is ‘Submitted with a view to obtain the degree of MA/M.Litt./Ph.D.’
5. Name of Faculty and University
6. Year of Submission
Please also consult the Ph.D. Regulations, available from the Examinations Office (and its web site).
Proof reading:
Spell checking facilities must be used where available, but cannot be fully relied upon for proof reading. It is advisable to contact a professional proof-reader.
Look out for:
· Consistency of layout
· Spelling
· Punctuation
· Grammar
Referencing:
There are basically two types of referencing, each including a number of variations: The Harvard system (also called the author-date system), and the MHRA system (the foot-note system). Each is valid, and therefore CONSISTENCY is the most important thing. Stick to one way of referencing. The Faculty recommends the MHRA system or a variation thereof. Copies of the MHRA Style Book can be purchased or consulted at the Departmental Office, where copies are kept. For an example of the use of a variation of this style, please consult an issue of the Maynooth Philosophical Papers, or the Yearbook of the Irish Philosophical Society, also both available in the Departmental Office.
1. The Harvard system
This system refers in the text to a work e.g. (MacIntyre, 1990, p. 123), giving the full reference in the bibliography only, in the following manner:
MacIntyre, Alasdair (1990): Whose Justice? Which Rationality?, Duckworth, London.
This system is difficult to use when referring also to older sources (ancient, medieval or modern) as one would often refer to re-editions, translations and commentaries, edited at a later stage and by another person than the author. It is useful and simple, however, when working only with contemporary authors.
2. The MHRA system
This system refers in footnotes (or endnotes) to the work in its entirety, the first time it is quoted. E.g.:
Alasdair MacIntyre, Whose Justice? Which Rationality? (Duckworth: London, 1990), p. 123.
Consecutively it uses:
· Ibid., p. 7 (if the previous note mentioned only the same work).
· Op.cit., p 7 (if the last cited work is the same work).
· MacIntyre, Whose Justice? Which Rationality?, p. 7 (if you refer to other works by the same author, or if it is required for reasons of clarity).
Remember that the referencing exists in order to ensure that the reader can check your argument. It therefore merits careful attention. Proof reading and the checking of references always take longer than you think. Leave sufficient time to do it properly, i.e. uniformly and with the appropriate amount of information.
Submission of Thesis:
3 hardbound copies are to be submitted to the Examinations Office (for Ph.D. theses to the Registrar).
For the processing of MA’s and M.Litt.’s through the Autumn Examinations Board the thesis should be submitted by Friday 25th July. In order that the student will not incur another year’s fees the thesis should be submitted by 31st October. Beyond this date the student will incur another year's fees. If the thesis is submitted by 1st February of the following year, half of the fee will however be refunded.
For the processing of Ph.D. theses, please refer to the Ph.D. Regulations.
General Research Areas of Staff:
Professor John Cleary:
Greek Philosophy; Political Philosophy; Hermeneutics; Philosophy of the
Sciences, Aesthetics.
Dr. Michael Dunne:
Greek and Medieval Philosophy; Philosophy of Science; Philosophy of Religion,
Computer Applications for Philosophy.
Dr. Mette Lebech:
Theory and History of Human Dignity; Phenomenology; Philosophy of Edith Stein; Bio-Ethics, Ethics.
Dr. Wayne Waxman:
Kant, early modern philosophy, Wittgenstein and the history of analytic philosophy, post-Kantian German philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language.
For recent publications by staff please consult the Department’s web-site and/or recent copies of the Presidents Report.