University of St. Andrews
Director Spring 2014: Professor Maura Tumulty, Department of Philosophy
Founded in 1413, the University of St. Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland, and one of the premier institutions of higher learning in Britain. The university draws over a fifth of its 5,700 undergraduates from overseas, representing some 75 different nationalities.
The town of St. Andrews--also known as the "home of golf"--is a beautiful burgh of about 15,000 people on the rugged east coast of Scotland.It has a vibrant town center filled with shops, cafes, and restaurants (plus the impressive ruins of the ancient cathedral).
There is reliable train and bus service to nearby larger cities, such as Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stirling. Edinburgh's international airport offers daily budget flights to European destinations.
Participants register as students at the University of St. Andrews and have the same access to all of its facilities as regular students do. In order to earn the equivalent of four Colgate credits, each student takes the course offered by the study group director and two to three courses from the St. Andrews curriculum.
Scottish Philosophy and the Fact/Value Distinction (Director’s course pending approval) The distinctions between fact and value, reason and emotion, and objectivity and subjectivity, have long and varied histories. This course examines the role those distinctions played in two thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment: David Hume and Adam Smith. The motivations for and benefits of these distinctions are explored, with special attention paid to Hume’s concerns about religious ‘enthusiasm’. Rigid versions of these distinctions have, however, been criticized for their serious costs in both epistemology and ethics. The course engages recent major criticisms, and then considers whether Hume or Smith might have had a more nuanced understanding of the distinctions they worked with than their many followers did. All students are required to take this class as one of their courses.
Course Approval Form St. Andrew's Course Information Sheet
Study group participants live with St. Andrews students in the university's halls of residence.There are options to choose from (single or double, en suite or not, catered or not, etc.).Colgate students enter the university's housing lottery along with everyone else.
There will be two excursions: a weekend in Glasgow, and a trip to Edinburgh and York during the first week of the two-week spring break. Both trips feature guided city and museum tours, concerts, plays, and invited talks by scholars.Travel arrangements are made by the Study Group Director.
Students interested in pursuing independent travel within Britain or Continental Europe have an opportunity to do so after the end of final examinations, and during the second week of the Spring Vacation.
Estimated Program Start Date: end of January 2014
Start of Classes: 27 January 2014
Glasgow Weekend: 14-16 February 2014 (estimated)
Spring Vacation: 17-30 March 2014
Edinburgh and York trip: 15-21March 2014 (estimated)
End of Teaching: 25 April 2014
Revision period: 28 April—11 May 2014
Examinations: 12-31 May 2014
Please see
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/semesterdates/2013-2014/
Ideally, students should have taken at least three religion or philosophy courses by the time they arrive in St. Andrews.In order to be admitted to St. Andrews, students need to have at least a 3.2 grade point average.
For details of student expenses on this study group, please see
Student Cost Estimate Sheet.
The deadline for applications to the spring 2014 St. Andrews Study Group has already passed.
You must confirm that your passport is valid through December 2014. All students participating on the Spring 2014 St. Andrews Study Group will be required to obtain a U.K. student visa. With participation on this study group comes the responsibility of understanding and complying with U.K. visa requirements. If you will not be traveling on a U.S. passport it is imperative that you contact an adviser in Off-Campus Study/International Programs, 101 Lathrop, and International Student Services, 103C Lathrop, to learn as much as you can about the visa requirements. For some students there are significant requirements to be met that take time, advance planning, and incur extra costs.
The Departments of Philosophy and Religion Program at St. Andrews University program dates: end of January—May 31, 2014.
All informational sessions for this program have already passed.
For more information contact
Maura Tumulty at 315-228-6461 or
mtumulty@colgate.edu.