Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Richard Heersmink
Jennifer Duke-Yonge
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(39cp at 100 level or above) or admission to GDipArts
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit examines both traditional topics in metaphysics as well as metaphysical topics in other areas in philosophy. The first half of the unit is structured around traditional topics such as causation, free will, laws of nature, personal identity, mental states, and time. Some of the questions we will look at are: Do we have free will or are our actions determined by the laws of nature? How does the mind relate to the brain? Will my personal identity persist over time? What is the nature of time? Does time flow or is it static? The second half of the unit is devoted to a critical examination of metaphysical topics in other areas in philosophy such as philosophy of art, philosophy of technology, and philosophy of religion. Some of the questions we will look at are: What defines a work of art? How can we distinguish between a work of art and an artifact? What is the nature of virtual entities and how do they differ from physical entities? Does god exist?
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Essay 1 | 30% | No | 27 September |
Essay 2 | 40% | No | 12 November |
Online forum | 15% | No | Throughout |
Three quizzes | 15% | No | Week 4, 8, 12 |
Due: 27 September
Weighting: 30%
You will write a short 1500-word essay on one of the topics discussed during the first half of the course. These topics include causation, free will, laws of nature, personal identity, mental states, and God. In week 8, we'll discuss the outcome of the essays during class, providing elaborate feedback on your essay such that you can avoid common mistakes in your second essay. Your essay should be submitted online via Turnitin. A marking rubric will be provided on iLearn.
Due: 12 November
Weighting: 40%
You will write a 2000-word essay on one of the topics discussed during the second half of the course. These topics include time and time travel, the metaphysics of art, artifacts and virtual reality. Your essay should be submitted online via Turnitin. A marking rubric will be provided on iLearn.
Due: Throughout
Weighting: 15%
For external students, participation marks will be based on participation in an online forum. Each week, you have to answer 4 questions on the forum in each 50 words. Your participation will be assessed based on the quality of your answers.
Due: Week 4, 8, 12
Weighting: 15%
Three short online quizzes in which you answer 10 multiple choice questions on the material from week 1-4, 5-8 and 9-12.
We will use the following textbook: Carroll, J.W. & Markosian, N. (2010). An introduction to metaphysics. Cambridge University Press. We will also use philosophical articles that will be uploaded on iLearn.
Week Topics
1 Course intro, what is metaphysics?
Essential reading: Ch. 1 of Carroll & Markosian
2 Causation
Essential reading: Ch. 2 of Carroll & Markosian
3 Free will and determinism
Essential reading: Ch. 3 of Carroll & Markosian
4 Laws of nature
Essential reading: Ch. 4 of Carroll & Markosian
5 Personal identity
Essential reading: Ch. 5 of Carroll & Markosian
6 Mental states
Essential reading: Ch. 6 of Carroll & Markosian
7 The metaphysics of God
Essential reading:
Midterm break
8 Time
Essential reading: Ch. 7 of Carroll & Markosian
9 Time travel
Essential reading: Nicolas Smith. (2013). Time travel. In Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy.
10 The metaphysics of art
Essential reading: Davies, S. (2005). The ontology of art. In J. Levinson (ed.), The Oxford handbook of aesthetics (pp. 156-180). Oxford University Press.
11 The metaphysics of artifacts
Essential reading:
12 The metaphysics of virtual reality
Essential reading:
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
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