Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Jean-Philippe Deranty
Contact via 98506773
Hearing Hub
tba
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(12cp 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 studies key philosophical questions (the meaning of life and death, freedom and responsibility, politics and history) from the perspective of existentialist philosophy. The unit is organised around the most important texts in this tradition. In particular, we investigate the way in which existentialist thinkers explored philosophical questions through literature.
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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:
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.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Online Quiz | 30% | No | Week 13 |
Take-Home Exam | 50% | No | 15/06/18 |
Online Participation | 20% | No | Throughout Semester |
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 30%
10 weekly quizzes, each worth 3 marks, for a total of 30 marks throughout the semester. The quizzes will run every week, from week 3 to week 12. The deadline for ALL quizzes is the end of week 13.
The aim of the quizzes is to test your understanding of the key texts, main concepts and arguments studied every week. Most quizzes will take the form of multiple-choice questions. There might be one or two short-answer quizzes. A quiz should take a maximum of 30 minutes to do but 2 hours will be allocated.
Due: 15/06/18
Weighting: 50%
The take-home exam will consist of 5 questions, each 400-500 words, covering the content studied throughout the unit. The questions will be handed out at the end of Week 12.
The marking criteria for this task are: correct understanding of key concepts and arguments; ability to identify relevant philosophical issues; quality of expression. A rubric will be available on the unit's iLearn.
Due: Throughout Semester
Weighting: 20%
Online participation will be ongoing throughout the semester but the marking period will match the tutorials, i.e. it will start in Week 2 and run until Week 12.
The online participation mark consists of:
- Participation: 1 mark per week for participation in the online forum (max. 10 marks)
- Active Engagement: 1 mark per tutorial for active engagement (making useful contributions) in online discussions (max. 10 marks)
A marking rubric detailing the components of active engagement will be made available on the unit's iLearn.
This unit uses an ilearn website and Echo360 lecture recordings (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/). The website contains links to the reading material, lecture notes, ilecture recordings, and other learning materials. Students will therefore require access to a computer and a good internet connection in order to access all the material, and participate in the unit effectively.
PHL238 will be delivered using a combination of lectures (live and pre-recorded) and tutorial work. Lectures are organised around key texts in which fundamental concepts and arguments are introduced and explained. The weekly quizzes are designed to practise the various skills required in philosophical writing. They will be scaffolded to help students in the preparation of the final exam. External students will conduct these workshops online via iLearn.
Lecture Times
Monday 9-11am 12, Second Way - 229 Tutorial Rm
Tutorial Times
Monday 12-1pm, 4 Western Rd - 312 Tutorial Rm
Monday 1-2pm, 4 Western Rd - 302 Tutorial Rm
Monday 2-3pm, 4 Western Rd - 320 Tutorial Rm
Weekly tutorials will begin in WEEK 2 and will continue until Week 12 (no tutorial in Week 6 which is a public holiday).
Week 1 |
Introduction to PHL 238: what is existentialism? |
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“There is only one serious philosophical problem”: authentic existence, the question at the root of all philosophical inquiries |
Week 2 |
The Absurd – Camus’ challenge Key text: Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, chapter 1. |
Week 3-4 |
Boredom, Death and Care – Heidegger’s challenge Key text: extracts from Being and Time, What is Metaphysics? |
Week 5 |
The Power of Nothingness – Sartre’s Challenge Key text: extract from Existentialism is a Humanism |
Week 6
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The Authentic Body: Merleau-Ponty’s challenge Key text: Merleau-Ponty, extracts from The Phenomenology of Perception |
Week 7 |
The Authentic Self and the Other Key texts: Heidegger, “The They” (from Being and Time); Sartre’s “being-for-other” (from Being and Nothingness and No Exit); Merleau-Ponty’s co-presence (from Phenomenology of Perception) |
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“What ought I to do”? Morality, Politics and Art as existential tasks |
Week 8 |
Nature versus History – Camus’ response to the Absurd Key texts: Camus, extracts from The Rebel, Nuptials at Tipasa, The Outsider. |
Week 9 |
De Beauvoir and Feminist Existentialism Key texts: De Beauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity, chapter 1; extracts fromThe Second Sex. |
Week 10 |
Black existentialism Key texts: Sartre, Black Orpheus; Frantz Fanon, extracts from Black Skin, White Masks;, Lewis Gordon, extracts from Existence in Black |
Week 11 |
Arendt: politics as authentic life Key text: Hannah Arendt, extracts from The Human Condition |
Week 12 |
Existentialist aesthetics Key texts: Merleau-Ponty, extracts from Eye and Mind; Sartre, What is Literature?; Heidegger, The Origin of the Work of Art. |
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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
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Date | Description |
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21/05/2018 | Late assessment policy updated. |