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PHIL10020

Academic Year 2024/2025

Introduction to the Problems of Philosophy (PHIL10020)

Subject:
Philosophy
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Philosophy
Level:
1 (Introductory)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor Rowland Stout
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module introduces students to contemporary philosophical thinking by focusing on four classic problems of philosophy: (1) free will and determinism; (2) personal identity; (3) knowledge and scepticism; (4) consciousness. It is a hands-on philosophy course, where the task is for students to work out their own arguments in response to the philosophical literature and lectures. Selected weekly readings will be made available on Brightspace during the trimester. The style of the lectures will be highly interactive, with students expected to do plenty of thinking during the lecture periods.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should: 1. have an understanding of some key philosophical issues and arguments; 2. be able to construct and analyse philosophical arguments; 3. have begun to acquire the habits of independent thought and critical reasoning; 4. be able to construct a well structured essay developing a philosophical argument. If you are taking this module as an elective - you may be interested in pursuing a Structured Elective programme in Philosophy (this will entail taking two more Philosophy electives). Your University Transcript could show that you have a Structured Elective in either Existential Philosophy & Critical Theory or Philosophy of Mind depending on which other electives you choose. See: https://www.ucd.ie/students/electives/structuredelectives.html

Indicative Module Content:

Free will; personal identity; knowledge; scepticism; consciousness.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

93
Lectures

24
Tutorial

8
Total

125

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The lectures will involve the lecturer raising philosophical problems, students thinking about and responding to these problems and the lecturer responding to these responses. They will be highly interactive. There will also be tutorials throughout the trimester where students may develop their ideas in a less pressurized context, learning from one another. The work required for the online assignments will involve a very small amount of reading and will mainly be individual reflection. The use of Generative AI for the short assignments is not permitted and will get no grade.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Short online assignment Week 3 Graded No
9
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Short online assignment Week 4 Graded No
9
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Multiple choice quiz Week 8 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
9
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Short online assignment Week 6 Graded No
9
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Short online assignment Week 7 Graded No
9
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Short online assignment Week 9 Graded No
9
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Quiz on Academic Integrity Week 10 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
9
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Short online assignment Week 11 Graded No
9
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Short online assignment Week 12 Graded No
9
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Tutorial participation Week 12 Graded No
10
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Multiple choice quiz Week 5 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
9
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

The online assignments will be graded within a fortnight of the submission deadline and comments fed back online where appropriate.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Fri 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 Mon 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 Mon 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 4 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 Mon 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 5 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31 Tues 09:00 - 09:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 6 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 Mon 16:00 - 16:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 8 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Thurs 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 9 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Fri 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 9 Week(s) - 31 Fri 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 10 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Fri 12:00 - 12:50
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