Module PHLM008 for 2017/8
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
PHLM008: Mind, Body and World
This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.
Module Aims
You will learn about different views of the relationship between mind, body, and world, and become familiar with a variety of arguments defending different accounts of this relationship. You will discuss primarily philosophical works, but also read sociological and anthropological accounts relevant to understanding the relation between mind, body, and world. You will have the opportunity to engage with very recent research on this topic, including your lecturers’ own current research.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. systematically illustrate several different views of the relation between mind and world; 2. analyze and evaluate these views in a rigorous, informed, and critical way; 3. develop your own perspective and arguments about the relation between mind and world, in a rigorous way; 4. evaluate the role of sociological and anthropological accounts for the philosophical debate; 5. formulate original questions that emerge when one considers how the mind relates to the world. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 6. systematically illustrate a variety of philosophical positions on a specific topic; 7. critically and rigorously evaluate, orally and in writing, several philosophical positions; 8. appreciate the challenges of providing a philosophical analysis of a variety of issues, as well as the uncertainty and limits of knowledge 9. understand a variety of philosophical positions in relation to their social and scientific context. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 10. engage in complex arguments verbally and in small groups; 11. critically engage with and report accurately on existing written material; 12. present complex ideas to peers in a clear way and so as to generate discussion; 13. respond to peers questions in a clear and respectful way. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Internalism: the mind in the head
- The 4E approach to cognition: cognition as embodied, embedded, enactive, and extended
- The affective dimension of the mind
- Embodiment, experience and incorporation
- Group cognition and group emotions
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 278 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2-hour seminars (mixture of student presentations, discussion, and lecturers explanations) |
| Guided Independent Study | 10 | Time preparing for the short formative essay |
| Guided Independent Study | 68 | Time for doing the weekly readings |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Time for preparing the lecture-style presentation |
| Guided Independent Study | 70 | Time for preparing the first summative essay |
| Guided Independent Study | 90 | Time for preparing the second summative essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short essay | 500 words | 1-12 | Written |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual lecture-style presentation in front of class | 20 | 20 + 10 minutes Q&A session | 1-13 | Verbal |
| Essay 1 | 30 | 1800 words | 1-12 | Written |
| Essay 2 | 50 | 3300 words | 1-12 | Written |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual lecture-style presentation in front of class | 20 + 10 minutes Q&A session with lecturer (viva-voce, face-to-face or virtually) | 1-13 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Essay 1 | Essay (1800 words) | 1-12 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay (3300 words) | 1-12 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Clark, A. (1997). Being There: Putting Brain, Body and World Together Again . Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
Menary, R. (ed.) (2010). The Extended Mind . Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
Robbins, P. & Aydede, M. (2009). The Cambridge Handbook of Situated Cognition . Cambridge MA: Cambridge University Press.
Varela, F., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience . Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
