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PHI-10024 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

PHI-10024 - Nietzsche's Death of God
Coordinator: Jonathan Head Room: CBA2.032 Tel: +44 1782 7 33515
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

Few philosophers hold more fascination than Friedrich Nietzsche, the prophetic and iconoclastic 19th century philosopher, who predicted a coming age of nihilism, which many think has now arrived; Nietzsche’s final lapse of sanity is often connected to his uncompromising path of thought. The excitement of reading Nietzsche provides a perfect introduction to close textual reading and analysis, which will prove useful as the degree progresses, and which is another of philosophy’s key transferrable skills.

Aims
The module aims:
(a) provide an introduction to debates regarding morality and religion in the context of Nietzsche's philosophy;
(b) enable students to approach moral and religious questions through engagement with a key text from the history of philosophy;
(c) to assist with the development of core study skills, including writing and research, as well as developing some key employability skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Explain key positions on the topics of morality and religion in Nietzsche's philosophy: 1,2
Engage critically with the significance of debates concerning morality and religion in Nietzsche's philosophy: 1,2
Develop informed views regarding philosophical questions concerning morality and religion, in response to Nietzsche's philosophy: 2
Reflect on philosophical issues in reference to the history of philosophy with clarity and precision, with an emphasis on Nietzsche: 2
Summarise key readings from the history of philosophy, with an emphasis on Nietzsche: 1

Study hours

Active Learning:
12 hours attendance at lectures
12 hours attendance at seminars
41 hours guided preparation for the seminars, including reading key sources
Independent Study:
40 hours preparation for the text analysis exercise
45 hours preparation for the essay

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Exercise weighted 50%
Critical Text Analysis
Explain and offer a critical analysis of a passage of primary text, based on seminar discussion of text extracts. The piece should be 1,000 words.

2: Essay weighted 50%
Essay
Students will be asked to write a 1,000-word essay on a topic chosen from a list of questions provided in the module guide. Students will be encouraged to reflect on a key philosophical question through engagement with Nietzsche's work.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025