Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL2045: Aesthetics

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Aims

  • You will learn about current debates in Aesthetics, and come to understand how these are related to topics from elsewhere in the discipline of Philosophy.
  • You will learn to think critically about your own aesthetic tastes and judgements, and to articulate your philosophical conclusions with care and precision.
  • You will develop your capacities for philosophical analysis and reasoning, by reading and researching contemporary literature on Aesthetics.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Explain and evaluate key philosophical problems surrounding topics in Aesthetics, and existing responses to these problems.
2. Explain in an informed way how problems in aesthetics are connected to issues in other philosophical domains, including ethics and metaphysics.
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Critically analyse philosophical texts, both recent and historical.
4. Begin to consolidate philosophical concepts from other modules and begin to convey a sense of the unity of philosophy as a discipline.
Personal and Key Skills5. Illustrate and explain difficult ideas in writing and orally.
6. Analyse, critically engage with, and report accurately upon, existing written material while articulating it within a structured and cogent argument.
7. Work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.

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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Short essay on a selected reading5001-5Verbal and 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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay501500 words1-6Written Feedback
Exam 501.5 hours1-7Written Feedback

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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Essay Essay (1500 words)1-6August/September reassessment period
ExamExam (1.5 hours)1-7August/September re-assessment period