Module PHL2119 for 2022/3
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2119: Animal Minds and Animal Ethics
This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.
Module Aims
In this module, we will engage in the most important debates around the mental and cognitive capacities of non-human animals and their ethical consequences. We will examine how traditional philosophical questions about the nature of consciousness, rationality, and moral norms apply to non-human animals. To conduct this examination, we will also rely on empirical studies from different sciences, in particular primatology. Hence, this module is highly interdisciplinary and enables students to gain comprehensive knowledge about the empirical and conceptual problems around animal minds. Students will learn to assess positions and arguments in this debate, connecting this debate with ethical issues on animal rights. Moreover, students will develop the ability to apply their knowledge to current affairs (e.g., policies on animal rights), to conduct responsible research, among other valuable skills for future employment.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Identify and discuss key issues in the contemporary debate around the nature of animal minds and their ethical implications 2. Distinguish and evaluate the central positions and arguments concerning the nature of animal minds and their ethical implications 3. Articulate the connection between positions in animal minds and animal ethics |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate a good understanding of philosophical distinctions, concepts, and how they apply to real-world cases 5. Demonstrate competency in evaluating philosophical positions, arguments, and methods |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Demonstrate clear and concise writing 7. Demonstrate competency in integrating, synthesizing, and applying new knowledge 8. Engage in independent research, within a limited time frame, to develop positions and arguments |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
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:
- Animal Consciousness: What is it like to be non-human?
- Reasoning, Concepts and Beliefs: Do Non-Human Animals think?
- Mindreading: Do non-human animals know each other’s beliefs?
- Communication: Do non-human animals have a language?
- Moral Norms: Do non-human animals create rules?
- Animal Ethics: How should we treat smart non-human animals?
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 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar. |
| Guided Independent Study | 83 | Private research in preparation for essay writing and slides presentation. Instructions will be given via ELE. |
| Guided Independent Study | 45 | Private study: reading the assigned material for classes and complementary readings. |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 | Draft outline: 500 words | 1-8 | Oral/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 |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video Presentation with Slides | 30 | 10 minutes of recording | 1-8 | Written |
| Essay | 70 | 2,000 words | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation with Slides | Short Essay (1000 words) | 1-8 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Essay | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September re-assessment period |
