PHIL10020 Introduction to the Problems of Philosophy

Academic Year 2022/2023

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) 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.

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Curricular information is subject to change

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; scepticism; consciousness.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Tutorial

8
Autonomous Student Learning

93
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. Some of the lecture time will be devoted to small group work where students work out approaches to the philosophical problems in groups of three or four and then bring them these approaches to the whole class. 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. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 12 n/a Graded No

9
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 8 n/a Graded No

9
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 6 n/a Graded No

9
Assignment: Plagiarism quiz Week 10 n/a Standard conversion grade scale 40% No

9
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 3 n/a Graded No

9
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 9 n/a Graded No

9
Attendance: Participation in tutorials Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

10
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 5 n/a Graded No

9
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 7 n/a Graded No

9
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 11 n/a Graded No

9
Assignment: Short online assignment Week 4 n/a Graded No

9

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer 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.

Name Role
Dr Meredith Plug Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Andrea Boudin Tutor
Ms Miho Kaneko Tutor
Mr John Rogers Tutor
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, 31, 32, 33 Fri 14:00 - 14:50
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Mon 10:00 - 10:50
Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Mon 12:00 - 12:50
Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
Tutorial Offering 4 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Tutorial Offering 8 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Thurs 15:00 - 15:50
Tutorial Offering 9 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Fri 11:00 - 11:50
Tutorial Offering 10 Week(s) - 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Fri 12:00 - 12:50
Spring