Module PHL2042 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2042: Philosophical Frontiers
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
- You will critically engage with work on the frontiers of philosophy through reading a recently published or forthcoming monograph.
- You will learn research skills in both self-motivated and group contexts.
- You will develop core philosophical skills such as critical reflection, argumentation and clarity of expression.
- Examining a cutting-edge monograph will help you cover new research methods and trends; understand the importance of sustaining a philosophical project beyond the journal-article format; and about situating philosophical work within disciplinary context.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate familiarity with a cutting-edge philosophical monograph. 2. Understand how to consider new philosophical work in context. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Understand and engage with philosophical arguments. 4. Develop your own philosophical ideas. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. Provide clear and concise written and oral communication skills. 6. Demonstrate comprehension of complex ideas and writing. 7. Show creativity, enabling lateral thinking, new ideas and problem-solving skills. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The syllabus is focused around a single monograph, which will vary from year to year and is chosen by the module convenor. Each week will involve reading a single chapter, with the occasional supplementary reading where appropriate.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 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 2hrs weekly seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Weekly assigned readings |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Preparation for class discussion |
| Guided Independent Study | 48 | Preparation for essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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.
Each year the module will differ depending on the selected monograph, but here is an indication of the kinds of options that could be explored:
Nguyen, Thi (forthcoming). Games: Agency as Art, Oxford University Press.
Potochnik, Angela (2017) Idealization and the Aims of Science, Chicago University Press
Stoljar, Daniel (2018) Philosophical Progress: in defence of a reasonable optimism. Oxford University Press.
Alexandrova, Anna (2017). A Philosophy for the Science of Wellbeing. Oxford University Press.
O’Connor, Cailin (forthcoming). The Origins of Unfairness. Oxford University Press.
