Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL2011A: The Philosophy of Nature 1

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

Philosophy began as a 'philosophy of nature' with the cosmological metaphysics of Presocratic thinkers such as Thales and Heraclitus. Modern Science was born of a revolution in the metaphysics of nature and Modern Philosophy can be conceived as a response to this revolution. The self-understanding of what it means to be human (i.e., of human nature) with all its moral, practical and theoretical implications, has been variable with very different understandings of the relationship of humans to nature. This module aims to improve your understanding of 'the philosophy of nature' as a fundamental philosophical concern by providing an overarching critical reconstruction of the different phases of Western understandings of nature. It also aims to introduce you to political and normative implications of philosophical understandings of nature 'nature', and invites you to reflect on your own presuppositions in dealing with the natural world.

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 Skills	1. understand the basic concepts and problems in the philosophy of nature past and present; 2. philosophically analyse the ways in which these problems have been addressed by past and contemporary philosophers; 3. know how to critically analyse concepts and arguments that make reference to nature, and how to expose their ethical and ideological foundations;
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. make explicit underlying assumptions about nature that are often uncritically presupposed in other areas of philosophy, the sciences and the humanities; 5. assess how concepts such as 'nature' change over time and across cultures, and reflect on the reasons for such changes;
Personal and Key Skills	6. develop ideas and construct arguments and critically evaluate the ideas and arguments of others; 7. question received wisdom; and 8. critically examine texts, and to write cogent and convincing essays.

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
Draft Essay Plan	1,000 words	3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8	Oral

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
60	40	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	60	2,000 words	3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8	Written
Examination	40	1.5 hours	1, 2	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
Essay	Essay (2,000 words)	3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8	August/September reassessment period
Examination	Examination (1.5 hours)	1, 2	August/September reassessment period