Module PHL1007 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL1007: Philosophical Reading 1
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
In this module you will learn and practise the most important basic skill for philosophy students, namely to read a philosophical text. Close reading is crucial for philosophical analysis, understanding and interpretation.
Because of the nature of this module, its syllabus varies from year to year, depending on the text(s) selected.
This year it will be Plato’s Republic.
This will be a foundation module for the SH degree programme in Philosophy, and for the modular degree pathway in philosophy. It will also be available to students from other schools and departments as an optional course in philosophy. This course will familiarise the student with the fundamental techniques required to read, understand, criticize, a philosophical text. It will proceed by in-depth reading and analysis of one or more philosophical texts. Given the introductory nature of this module, we will focus on texts that require no specific background philosophical knowledge and combine high philosophical quality with historical relevance and clarity of presentation.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. engage in in-depth analysis of a text, and reasoning about abstract matters |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 2. analyse arguments, understand the historical and social context of production of a philosophical text, criticise it, and write well-argued essays. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 3. construct and evaluate arguments, to formulate and express ideas at different levels of abstraction, to assess and criticise the views of others. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar presentation or discussion summary | 5 minutes | 1-3 | Oral feedback |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 70 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 30 | 1,500 words | 1-3 | Written feedback |
| Examination | 70 | 1.5 hours | 1-3 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay 1,500 words | 1-3 | August/September reassessment period |
| Examination | Examination (1.5 hours) | 1-3 | August/September reassessment period |
