Module PHL2045 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2045: Aesthetics
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
- You will learn about current debates in Aesthetics, and come to understand how these are related to topics from elsewhere in the discipline of Philosophy.
- You will learn to think critically about your own aesthetic tastes and judgements, and to articulate your philosophical conclusions with care and precision.
- You will develop your capacities for philosophical analysis and reasoning, by reading and researching contemporary literature on Aesthetics.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Explain and evaluate key philosophical problems surrounding topics in Aesthetics, and existing responses to these problems. 2. Explain in an informed way how problems in aesthetics are connected to issues in other philosophical domains, including ethics and metaphysics. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Critically analyse philosophical texts, both recent and historical. 4. Begin to consolidate philosophical concepts from other modules and begin to convey a sense of the unity of philosophy as a discipline. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. Illustrate and explain difficult ideas in writing and orally. 6. Analyse, critically engage with, and report accurately upon, existing written material while articulating it within a structured and cogent argument. 7. Work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- The nature of beauty and ugliness
- the value of art
- the sublime
- art and morality
- high and low art
- music and the expression of emotion
- everyday aesthetics
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 | 45 | Weekly assigned readings |
| Guided Independent Study | 10 | Preparation for class discussion |
| Guided Independent Study | 23 | Preparation for essay |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Preparation for final examination |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
https://philpapers.org/browse/aesthetics
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 essay on a selected reading | 500 | 1-5 | Verbal and 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 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 | 50 | 1500 words | 1-6 | Written Feedback |
| Exam | 50 | 1.5 hours | 1-7 | 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 (1500 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Exam | Exam (1.5 hours) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
