Module PHL2053 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2053: History of Philosophy
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
You will gain a good understanding of some key problems addressed by early modern philosophers, including their rationale and various attempts at solving them. By making a critical study of these topics, focusing on primary texts, your skills in the analysis, evaluation and presentation of arguments will be enhanced.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Identify and discuss the questions, themes and topics addressed by some early modern philosophers. 2. Distinguish and evaluate certain positions and arguments within early modern philosophy. 3. Read and understand early modern philosophical texts in their historical and philosophical context. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate a good understanding of the interrelation between historical events and philosophical developments. 5. Demonstrate sound knowledge of different types of philosophical analysis. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Demonstrate an expanded philosophical vocabulary and understanding with respect to key ideas in early modern philosophy. 7. Engage in complex arguments both orally and through writing. 8. Conduct research independently engaging with complex ideas and problems. |
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 in early modern philosophy:
- Natural philosophy, including questions about methodology, natural laws, the nature of space and time, and God’s place in the universe.
- Early modern epistemology, including a variety of scepticisms, as well as questions regarding the existence of innate ideas and the notion of a tabula rasa, theories of perception, and knowledge of substance.
- Early modern philosophy of mind, including questions about the relationship between mind and body and whether or not animals have cognition, as well as problems of personal identity.
- Early modern moral philosophy, including questions of belief, freedom, will, and the existence of God.
- Early modern political philosophy, including questions of rights, the relationship between state and polis, and property ownership.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 21.5 | 128.5 | 0 |
...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 Activities | 16.5 | 11 x 1.5 hour lectures. |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 5 | 5 x 1 Hour fortnightly tutorials. |
| Guided Independent Study | 45 | Preparation for lectures and tutorial participation including reading, and preparing reading reports and answers to tutorial questions. |
| Guided Independent Study | 83.5 | Independent research for the first and final essays. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial Participation | Fortnightly | 1-8 | Oral |
| Final Essay draft | Draft of final essay | 1-8 | Peer review |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading reports* | 10 | 5 reports x 150 words | 1-3 | Oral |
| Essay | 30 | 1000 words | 1-7 | Written Feedback |
| Final Essay | 60 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written 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 assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading reports* | Literature summary (750 words) | 1-3 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | Essay (1000 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | Essay (2000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
*The mark will be an overall mark for the set: you will have 8 chances to submit a reading report, and if you submit at least 5 reports over the semester, you’ll get the full 10% (each report is worth 2%, up to a total of 10%). You will get feedback on these assignments in three ways: (1) Reading reports will form the basis of tutorial discussion, so you will receive (and offer) feedback from your peers during class; (2) I’ll provide general feedback during classes; (3) Students can receive individual feedback on request.
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.
Readings will primarily come from the following two anthologies:
1. Ariew, Roger & Watkins, Eric (eds.) (2009), Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources, 2nd edition, Hackett Pub Co.
2. Atherton, Margaret (ed.) (1994), Women philosophers of the early modern period, Hackett Pub Co.
