Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL3045: Aesthetics

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

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.

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. Explain and evaluate key philosophical problems surrounding topics in Aesthetics and existing responses to these problems, while developing your own critical perspective. 2. Explain in an informed and systematic way how problems in aesthetics are connected to issues in other philosophical domains, including ethics and metaphysics. 3. Devise and sustain rationally persuasive arguments using appropriate ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of the discipline.
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. Critically analyze philosophical texts, both recent and historical, and examine their presuppositions and methods reflectively. 5. Consolidate philosophical concepts from other modules and begin to convey a sense of the unity of philosophy as a discipline.
Personal and Key Skills	6. Illustrate and explain difficult ideas in writing and orally, while maintaining an honest and balanced perspective. 7. Analyse, critically engage with, and report accurately upon, existing written material while building a structured and cogent argument. 8. Work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.

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:

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

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).