Module PHL3080 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL3080: 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: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate familiarity with a cutting-edge philosophical monograph. 2. Critically understand the historical and philosophical context of a piece of cutting-edge philosophy. |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Critically analyse and respond to 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. |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Essay plan | 500 words | 1, 3, 4, 7 | 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 |
---|---|---|
80 | 0 | 20 |
...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 | 70 | 3000 words | 1-7 | Written |
Seminar Presentation & either PowerPoint slides or handout. | 20 | 30 minutes, 10 PowerPoint slides or 2-sided handout | 1, 2, 5, 6 | Written |
Reading Reports (The mark will be an overall mark for the set: you will have 8 chances to submit a reading report, and if you submit at least 5 reports over the semester, youll get the full 10% (each report is worth 2%, up to a total of 10%). | 10 | 5 reports x 150 words | 3, 5, 6 | You will get feedback on these assignments in three ways: (1) reading reports will form the basis of tutorial discussion, so you will receive (and offer) feedback from your peers during class; (2) convenor provides general feedback during classes; (3) you can receive individual feedback on request. |
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 (3000 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Seminar Presentation | 1-1 presentation | 1, 2, 5, 6 | August/September reassessment period |
Reading Reports | 750 word paper summary | 3, 5, 6 | August/September reassessment period |
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.