Module PHL1002A for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL1002A: Knowledge and Reality 1
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The aim of this module is to introduce you to classical epistemological and metaphysical questions. It presents and analyzes some classical answers to the question of how we know what we know, and about the nature of reality. The module discusses the early modern debate between rationalists and empiricists, as well as older and newer treatments of such related issues as innate knowledge, substance, scepticism and the value of metaphysics
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. define various technical terms pertaining to epistemology and metaphysics 2. present and discuss different philosophical claims concerning the nature of knowledge and reality 3. evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various epistemological and metaphysical views; |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. summarize and discuss several philosophical theories; 5. demonstrate knowledge of essential philosophical concepts; 6. break down philosophical arguments and evaluate them; 7. present and justify their own philosophical views with appropriate arguments |
Personal and Key Skills | 8. communicate ideas clearly and appropriately by written and oral means; 9. discuss abstract ideas in a clear and competent way; 10. engage with on-line interactive material and discussion; 11. engage critically with the assigned readings; 12. engage productively in group discussion. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
How do we know what we know? (innate knowledge, scepticism, Descartes' cogito, empiricism, common sense). What is there? (the notion of substance, primary and secondary qualities, idealism, Kant's a priori, a critique of metaphysics).
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 |
---|---|---|
27 | 123 |
...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 Weekly 2 hours lectures |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 5 | Fortnightly one hour small group tutorials |
Guided Independent study | 88 | Private study time (weekly course readings, exam preparation etc.) |
Guided Independent study | 35 | Preparation for formative 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 |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | 1,000-1,500 words | 1-11 | 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 |
---|---|---|
0 | 80 | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Questionnaire | 20 | 30 minutes | 1, 5, 10 | Written |
Examination | 80 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1-11 | 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 |
---|---|---|---|
Questionnaire | Questionnaire (30 minutes) | 1, 5, 10 | August/September reassessment period |
Examination | Examination (1 hour 30 minutes) | 1-11 | August/September reassessment 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.
Plato, Meno. ca. 380 BC. (Hackett, 1981)
Plato, Republic. ca. 380 BC (Penguin, 2003)
R. Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641. [various translations and editions]
J. Locke, Essay concerning Human Understanding, 1690. [various editions]
W. Leibniz, New Essays on Human Understanding, 1675. [Cambridge University Press 1996]
D. Hume, Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, 1748. [various editions]
G. Berkeley, Principles of Human Knowledge, 1734. [various editions]
I. Kant, Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, 1783. (Hackett, 2003)
G.E. Moore, "A defence of common sense", 1925. [In G.E. Moore: Selected Writings, Routledge 1993).
R. Carnap, "The elimination of metaphysics through logical analysis of language", 1932. [In Logical Positivism, Free Press NY, 1959]