Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL1004: Philosophical Problems 1

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will address some or all of the following questions through the medium of concrete examples and dilemmas:

What is the nature of being?
What is the nature of personal identity?
What is the nature of meaning and language?
What does it mean to know things?
How do we ascertain what is right or wrong?
What is the relationship between moral responsibility and autonomy?
What is the nature of consciousness?
What is freedom?
What is equality?
Is there a relationship between beauty and moral goodness?

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

...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 ActivitiesScheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	22	11 x 2 hours per week comprising of lectures and seminars
Guided Independent Study	44	Preparation for lectures and tutorials
Guided Independent Study	84	Preparation for presentation and examination

Online Resources

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

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

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
Individual presentation	10 min	1-6	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
0	100	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
Examination	100	1.5 hours	1-6	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
Examination	Examination (1.5 hours)	1-6	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.

Basic reading:

Russell, B. (1912/1997) The Problems of Philosophy (Oxford University Press revised second edition)

Nagel, Thomas (1987). What does it all mean?: a very short introduction to philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Hurka, T. (2011). The Best Things in Life: A Guide to What Really Matters. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bramble, Ben and Bob Fisher, (2015), The Moral Complexity of Eating Meat, New York: Oxford University Press.