Module PHL1005A for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL1005A: Evidence and Argument 1
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
Philosophers try to think rationally about the most general and abstract questions; for this reason, they spend a lot of time constructing and criticising arguments. In this course, you will investigate what makes a good or a bad argument, and how to distinguish one from the other. This is a skill essential not only in science and philosophy, but also in politics and everyday life.
This module will teach you the tools and skills necessary for analysing, evaluating and constructing arguments. It consists of a mixture of theory and practical exercises. We will examine the general principles of reasoning, and then apply them to particular arguments from philosophical and other texts.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
---|---|
Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate knowledge of some basic principles of formal and inductive reasoning, essay writing and rhetoric; |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 2. develop the ability to analyse arguments, to apply simple rules of inference, to criticise brief texts, and to write well-argued essays; |
Personal and Key Skills | 3. develop the ability to argue clearly and effectively in speech and writing, to use the library and internet resources, and to evaluate different sources of evidence; |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Essay writing technique; identifying and reconstructing arguments; arguments vs. explanations; deductive reasoning; inductive reasoning; argumentative strategies and fallacies.
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 |
---|---|---|
28 | 122 | 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 activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour lectures |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 6 | 1 hour tutorials every 2 weeks. A great part of the course will be devoted to practical exercises in the construction, analysis and evaluation of arguments. This format allows for a good deal of discussion between students and lecturer, both in lectures and tutorials. |
Guided Independent study | 11 | Short exercises in logic and critical thinking; readings. The exercises do not come with a minimum word count, but they should take no more than a couple of hours every two weeks. |
Guided Independent study | 111 | Private study |
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 exercises in logic and critical thinking; readings. | The exercises do not come with a minimum word count, but they should take no more than a couple of hours every two weeks. | 1-3 | Written and verbal |
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 | 100 | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Examination | 100 | 2 hours | 1-3 | 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 |
---|---|---|---|
Examination | Examination (2 hours) | 1-3 | 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.
A. Martinich, Philosophical Writing, Blackwell, 1997.
I. Hacking, An Introduction to Probability and Inductive Logic, CUP, 2
B.Moore and R. Parker, Critical Thinking, 6th edition, London, Mayfield Publishing Co., 1997.
T. Bowell and G. Kemp, Critical Thinking, London, Routledge 2002.
M.Salmon, Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, London, Wadsworth, 2002.
M. Scriven, Reasoning, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1976.