Module PHL2016 for 2022/3
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2016: Metaphysics
This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.
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 | 250 words | 1-6 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 50 | 1 hour | 1-6 | Written |
| Essay | 50 | 1500 words | 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 hour) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment Period |
| Essay | Essay (1500 words) | 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.
Core Reading:
The core reading for the course is Kim &Sosa (eds): Metaphysics: An Anthology (1999). This includes almost all of the key readings for the course and I recommend that you purchase a copy. Also, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which is free and online, contains many useful entries whichwill give you an appropriate grounding in each topic, but should not be used as a replacement for key readings. I will recommend additional readings in class.
1 Introduction -what the course is about, structure of teaching and assessment.
2 Existence
Reading:
W.V. Quine (1948): 'On What There Is'; Review of Metaphysics.
(In Kim &Sosa; and here: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/On_What_There_Is)
3 Realism and Anti-Realism
Reading:
M. Dummett (1982): 'Realism'; Synthese, 52, pp55-112.
(In Kim & Sosa).
4 Supervenience and Emergence
Reading:
J. Kim (1999): 'Making Sense of Emergence'; Philosophical Studies, 95
J. Kim (1990): 'Supervenience as a Philosophical Concept'; Metaphilosophy, 21
(In Kim & Sosa).
5 Identity over time
Reading:
R.Chisholm (1976): 'Identity Through Time'; originally published in his Person & Object.
W.V. Quine (1953): 'Identity, Ostension, and Hypostasis'; originally published in his From a Logical Point of View.
(Both in Kim & Sosa).
6 Persons and persistence
Reading:
D. Parfit (1971): 'Personal Identity'; Philosophical Review, 80
(In Kim &Sosa)
E. Olson (2007): 'What are We?' Journal of consciousness studies.
(and here: http://www.shef.ac.uk/content/1/c6/03/49/16/WAWpaper.pdf)
7 Causation
Reading:
J.L. Mackie (1965): 'Causes and Conditions'; American Philosophical Quarterly, 5
D. Lewis (1973): 'Causation'; Journal of Philosophy, 70
(Both in Kim & Sosa).
8 Mental Causation
Reading:
L. R. Baker (1993): 'Metaphysics and Mental Causation'; in Heil & Mele. (eds), 1993: Mental Causation; Oxford. (other entries in this volume are extremely good, too).
Block, N. (2003) 'Do Causal Powers Drain Away?'; Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
(http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/philo/faculty/block/papers/CausalPowers.pdf)
9 Abstract and Puzzling Entities
Reading:
R. Sorensen (1999): 'Seeing Intersecting Eclipses'; The Journal of Philosophy, 96
R. Sorensen (2008): Seeing Dark Things. The Philosophy of Shadows,Oxford: OUP
G. Bealer (1993): 'Universals'; Journal of Philosophy, 90
10 Modality and Possible Worlds
Reading:
A. Plantinga (1974): 'Modalities: Basic Concepts and Distinctions; in his The Nature of Necessity, Oxford.
D. Lewis (1986): 'Counterparts or Double Lives?'; in his On the Plurality of Worlds, Oxford.
(Both in Kim & Sosa).
