Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
OUA Convenor
Dr. Jennifer Duke-Yonge
Contact via jennifer.duke-yonge@mq.edu.au, or (+61 2) 9850 8826
Philosophy Dept, Level 2, Australian Hearing Hub, Macquarie University
By arrangement. Tutor details TBA - see iLearn
Tutor
TBA
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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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.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Assessments are to be submitted through Turnitin, and will be marked and returned via Grademark. For information about these tools, see:
http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/assignments.htm
Extensions and Special Consideration
Requests for extensions must, normally, be made in writing before the due date. Extensions of up to 3 days can be granted by your convenor if reasonable grounds are given, and some written documentation can be produced. Work load from other units, or from employment, are not considered reasonable justification.
Requests for extensions of more than 3 days should be submitted via a Special Consideration request, which is available in the http://ask.mq.edu.au portal. Your request should be accompanied by appropriate documentation, such as a medical certificate. Please see the Special Consideration policy in the list of policies at the end of this document for further details.
Read the policy closely as your request may be turned down if you have not followed procedure, or if you have not submitted a request in a timely manner.
Late Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Academic Honesty
In Philosophy, academic honesty is taken very seriously. Misrepresenting someone else's work as your own may be grounds for referral to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee. If you have questions about how to properly cite work or how to credit sources, please talk to one of the teaching staff and see also the Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Please note that the policy also prohibits resubmitting work you have already submitted in another unit or unit offering. This counts as self-plagiarism. To avoid self-plagiarism, if you have done this unit previously, you should write on another topic this time. If this presents you with any problems, please contact the unit covenor as soon as possible.
For information about extensions, late penalties and special consideration, see Policies and Procedures section below.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Short quiz 1 | 5% | No | Mon-Sun Week 5 |
Short Essay | 30% | No | Sun 22/4 (in mid-term break) |
Short quiz 2 | 5% | No | Mon-Sun Week 9 |
Final essay | 40% | No | Sun 10/6 (Wk 13) |
Participation | 15% | No | Weekly |
Short quiz 3 | 5% | No | Mon-Sun Week 13 |
Due: Mon-Sun Week 5
Weighting: 5%
Short quiz covering material from weeks 1-4. 1 attempt is allowed and you have one hour to complete the quiz once you begin.
The criterion for assessment will be understanding of the unit content, as demonstrated by the correct selection of answers in a multiple choice quiz.
Due: Sun 22/4 (in mid-term break)
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 time. Your essay should be submitted online via Turnitin. Assessment criteria are: Focus, Structure, Exposition, Argument. A rubric will be available in iLearn.
The short essay is due in the mid-term break, which is a two week break occurring between week 7 and week 8.
Due: Mon-Sun Week 9
Weighting: 5%
Short quiz covering material from weeks 5-8. 1 attempt is allowed and you have one hour to complete the quiz once you begin.
The criterion for assessment will be understanding of the unit content, as demonstrated by the correct selection of answers in a multiple choice quiz.
Due: Sun 10/6 (Wk 13)
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 material objects, artifacts, art, virtual reality, and religion. Your essay should be submitted online via Turnitin. Assessment criteria are: Focus, Structure, Exposition, Argument. A rubric will be available in iLearn.
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 15%
Participation marks will be based on engagement in online forums. Your participation will be assessed based on your willingness to engage and the quality of your engagement. Assessment criteria will be engagement with the learning community, engagement with content, and consistency and commitment. A rubric will be provided in iLearn. Note that posts that are not made in a timely fashion may not be counted.
Due: Mon-Sun Week 13
Weighting: 5%
Short quiz covering material from weeks 9-12. 1 attempt is allowed and you have one hour to complete the quiz once you begin.
The criterion for assessment will be understanding of the unit content, as demonstrated by the correct selection of answers in a multiple choice quiz.
For the first half of this course, we'll use the following textbook. Please buy this book before the course begins. (http://coop-bookshop.com.au)
John W. Carroll and Ned Markosian. (2010). Introduction to Metaphysics. Cambridge University Press.
For the second half, we'll use selected articles which will be available electronically through the Macquarie University Library, with links from iLearn.
Important schedule information: Please note that OUA units offered by Macquarie University now follow Macquarie Sessions rather than OUA Study Periods. This will include a mid-session break of two weeks. You will find the Session dates below:
Week Topics
1 (week beginning 26/2) Course intro, what is metaphysics?
Essential reading: Ch. 1 of Carroll & Markosian (19 pages)
2 (week beginning 5/3) Causation
Essential reading: Ch. 2 of Carroll & Markosian (24 pages)
3 (week beginning 12/3) Free will
Essential reading: Ch. 3 of Carroll & Markosian (33 pages)
4 (week beginning 19/3) Laws of nature
Essential reading: Ch. 4 of Carroll & Markosian (23 pages)
5 (week beginning 26/3) Personal identity
Essential reading: Ch. 5 of Carroll & Markosian (29 pages)
6 (week beginning 2/4) Mental states
Essential reading: Ch. 6 of Carroll & Markosian (25 pages)
7 (week beginning 9/4) Time
Essential reading: Ch. 7 of Carroll & Markosian (24 pages)
Mid-session break (2 weeks: 14/4 - 29/4)
8 (week beginning 30/4) Material objects
Essential reading: Ch. 8 of Carroll & Markosian (42 pages)
9 (week beginning 7/5) 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.
10 (week beginning 14/5) Artifacts
Essential reading:
11 (week beginning 21/5) Virtual reality
Essential reading:
12 (week beginning 28/5) Religion
Essential reading:
13 (week beginning 4/6) Review and assessment
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.
You need to show that the circumstances:
If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:
Outcome
Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.
You can withdraw from your subjects prior to the census date (last day to withdraw). If you successfully withdraw before the census date, you won’t need to apply for Special Circumstances. If you find yourself unable to withdraw from your subjects before the census date - you might be able to apply for Special Circumstances. If you’re eligible, we can refund your fees and overturn your fail grade.
If you’re studying Single Subjects using FEE-HELP or paying up front, you can apply online.
If you’re studying a degree using HECS-HELP, you’ll need to apply directly to Macquarie University.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/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.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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