Philosophy

The most important thing in starting philosophy is to acquire the technique of philosophical argument and the best way to do this is by reading philosophy of the highest quality.

The first-year syllabus in philosophy is divided into three parts:

Moral Philosophy

You should read the central text:

• John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, ed. by Roger Crisp, OUP. (Or there’s a free version available here.)

And if possible either of the following introductions to Utilitarian ethics:

• Julia Driver (2012). Consequentialism. London: Routledge.
• Krister Bykvist (2010). Utilitarianism: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Continuum.

General Philosophy

The General Philosophy course is not based on a single particular text, but is devoted to questions in metaphysics (the nature of reality), epistemology (the theory of knowledge), and philosophy of religion (among others, theories about knowledge of God's existence or absence).

That said, two texts by Descartes and Hume come up repeatedly, and you should prepare by reading through these texts (the free versions available online will be fine).

• René Descartes, Meditations. Available here.
• David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Available here.

Also, if possible, have a look at any of the following:

• Annalisa Coliva & Duncan Pritchard (2021). Skepticism. London: Routledge. Chapter 1.
• Linda Zagzebski (2007). The Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction. London: Blackwell. Chapter 7.
• Michael McKenna & Derk Pereboom (2016). Free Will: A Contemporary Introduction. London: Routledge. Chapter 2.

Logic

For the logic part of the course, you will use the following textbook:

• V. Halbach, The Logic Manual (Oxford University Press, 2010).

Do not be intimated by the formalism and intricacies of the text – simply have a first look and read as far as you can follow. You will devote a lot of time to careful study and problem sheets during the first term, and your tutor will take you through the material step by step.

Alexander Prescott-Couch

Modern Languages

Dear Fresher,

Below, you will see the reading lists for your course at Lincoln College Oxford.

Please note which texts you will study in the first term in order to read them before arriving in October. It is essential to do this in order to allow yourself the necessary time during term to complete the written assignments. (NB: there is no need to read works by critics before term starts).

More generally, please make efforts during the summer to maintain and even improve your level of linguistic competence by any means available to you. For example, read newspapers and magazines in the target language as much as possible.

In order to prepare for your study of literature, please obtain and read one of the following ‘study skills’ guides before arriving in Oxford:

• Phyllis Creme and Mary R. Lea, Writing at University, 3rd edn (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2008).
• Stella Cottrell, The Study Skills Handbook, 3rd edn (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).
• David B. Pirie, How to Write Critical Essays (London: Routledge, 2002)

We look forward to seeing you in October.

Edward Nye

Papers I and II

Paper I consists of translation into French (10 sentences and a short literary or journalistic passage) and a summary exercise in French. Paper II involves translation from French of two short literary or journalistic passages. You will have regular oral classes. You should make every effort to maintain and even improve your level of linguistic competence by any means available to you. Certainly you must equip yourself with a good grammar book, for example Roger Hawkins & Richard Towell, French Grammar and Usage, or Granville Price’s revision of the standard Byrne & Churchill’s A Comprehensive French Grammar, or H. Ferrar’s A French Reference Grammar. You should also obtain a large bilingual dictionary (ca. 2000 pages, ca. 19cm x 26cm, e.g. Oxford-Hachette, or Collins-Robert). You can also buy a monolingual dictionary such as Le Petit Robert or Lexis, but there is also an excellent dictionary available free online at the following address: https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/

You will also have free access to the Oxford English Dictionary online once you have your Oxford University email address on arrival in October. Please note that you cannot rely on other, free online dictionaries (mono-lingual or bi-lingual), since they are not good enough for university study.

You will be studying for these two language papers, I and II, throughout the first year.

Oral classes: these will focus on proper pronunciation and intonation, and include discussion in French of texts dealing with issues in contemporary French culture.

Paper III (‘Short Texts’)

(i) Montaigne, ‘Des Cannibales’ from Essais, vol. 1 (recommended edition: Essais: ‘Des cannibales’ et ‘Des coches’, ed. by Tarpinian, Éditions Ellipses, 1994)

(ii) Racine, Phèdre (recommended edition by Raymond Picard, Gallimard ‘Folio’, 2015)

(iii) Verlaine, Romances sans paroles (recommended edition by Arnaud Bernadet, GF-Flammarion, 2018 [2012])

(iv) NDiaye, Papa doit manger (recommended edition Éditions de Minuit, 2003)

You will be studying for this paper in your first term, and you should therefore read these texts before you arrive in Oxford.

Paper IV (‘French Narrative Fiction’)

NB: no particular editions recommended

(i) Anon., La Chastelaine de Vergy

(ii) Laclos, Les Liaisons dangereuses

(iii) George Sand, Indiana

(iv) Condé, Traversée de la mangrove

You will study for Paper IV in the second and third terms.