Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL2122: Data, Experiments, and Society

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

Module Aims

The aim of this module is to enable you to critically reflect on the ethical and epistemic issues that experimental practice raises in various contexts. The module draws on a mixture of literature from philosophy, the natural and social sciences, and the corporate world (Google, Facebook, etc.) to build a conceptual toolbox that will allow you to perform such critical reflection. In the process you will also learn how to apply philosophical/ethical analyses to complex practical issues.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. apply a selection of conceptual tools for analysing the nature of experimentation in contemporary research
2. critically engage with a case study of experimental practice
Discipline-Specific Skills3. demonstrate in writing and orally some competence in using major theoretical perspectives and concepts in philosophy and how they apply to real-world cases
4. illustrate the role and importance of detailed empirical knowledge for philosophical understanding
Personal and Key Skills5. learn to think, write, and argue logically through class discussions and written assignments
6. reconsider your personal understanding of experimentation and its place in your own culture/discipline

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content will vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes:

  • The experimental landscape - why an epistemology of experiment? Why an ethics of experiment?
  • Experimental data: why does it matter?
  • Reliability of experimentation: how do we know when we have “good” data?
  • Doing experiments with animals: Epistemic and ethical issues raised by animal research
  • Doing experiments with people: The clinical trial and the problem of randomisation
  • The question of consent in the digital age
  • The ethics of A/B testing - unconstrained power for private corporations?
  • AI and Big Data in science: Challenge or opportunity?
  • Open Science and Open Data: open to whom? 

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities2211 x 2 hours per week comprising of lectures and seminars
Guided independent study5511x 5 hours reading and preparation for classes
Guided independent study3Preparation for presentations
Guided independent study70Independent research for written assignments

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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Presentation5 mins1,3,4,5 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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Critical review of an experimental design351000 words1,2,4,5Written
Essay652000 words1-6Written

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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Critical review of an experimental designCritical review of an experimental design (1000 words)1,2,4,5August/September reassessment period
EssayEssay (2000 words)1-6August/September reassessment period