Module PHL3110 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL3110: Philosophy of Emotion
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
You will learn about somatic and cognitive theories of emotions, about accounts of emotions as unconscious mental states, and different views of the relation between emotions and moods. You will also learn about naturalistic and social constructionist accounts of the emotions, about different views on the “valence” of emotions, and about philosophical accounts of the relation between emotions, facial and bodily expressions, and language. Whereas the module will cover mainly philosophical theories of emotion, you will also learn about psychological and sociological accounts of the emotions. You will become familiar primarily with recent and contemporary works on these topics (form mid-nineteenth Century to current works).
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. systematically illustrate a variety of philosophical accounts of the emotions; 2. identify specific philosophical problems in the study of emotion; 3. critically evaluate a variety of accounts of the nature of emotions whilst developing your own perspective. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. systematically illustrate a variety of philosophical positions on a specific topic; 5. evaluate, orally and in writing, different philosophical positions; 6. distinguish between sound and unsound arguments, and develop philosophically informed considerations about them. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. engage in complex arguments verbally as an individual and in small groups; 8. critically engage with and report accurately on existing written material. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 take-home essays (past essays by former students, anonymised) to read, mark, and provide feedback on. | 6 hours | 5-8 | 1-hr class discussion, oral comments by lecturer. |
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 1 | 30 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written |
| Essay 2 | 30 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written |
| Exam | 40 | 2 hours | 1-8 | 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 1 | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Exam | Essay (2,500 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
