Unit information: Philosophical Writing and Research Seminar in 2024/25

Unit name	Philosophical Writing and Research Seminar
Unit code	PHILM0025
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Catrin Campbell-Moore
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	Department of Philosophy
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

The seminar identifies distinctive questions and methods of Analytic philosophy; discusses the argumentative and textual strategies of some different historical and contemporary texts; and practice in focusing and structuring written work. Advice on publishing and developing a career in philosophy will be given. Generic academic skills will be taught, e.g. bibliographic practices. Transferable skills will also be covered, such as presentation skills and the use of appropriate ICT.

Your learning on this unit

On successful completion of this unit, students should:

1. have acquired knowledge and understanding of various key issues in central areas of philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and other areas of value theory,
2. be able to identify a variety of argumentative strategies
3. be able to construct and analyse sophisticated philosophical arguments and engage with other philosophers in constructive debate.
4. be able to communicate ideas clearly and effectively to an audience, using blackboard, handouts, data projection (e.g. PowerPoint).
5. be able to work in teams, allocate work and agree on argumentative strategies to present ideas and arguments effectively to an audience

How you will learn

Lectures, small group work, individual exercises, seminars and virtual learning environment.

How you will be assessed

100% formative

1 individual presentation (50%)

1 group presentation (50%)

When assessment does not go to plan

When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required.

Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHILM0025).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.