Students

PHIX3056 – Contemporary Topics in Philosophy

2021 – Session 2, Fully online/virtual

Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update

The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.

This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.

Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, Lecturer, and Tutor
Robert Sinnerbrink
Contact via 9850 9935
25B Wally's Walk, Room 611
By appointment
Mark Alfano
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides students with the opportunity to engage with cutting edge areas of research in contemporary Philosophy. Topics and readings will be carefully curated by leading researchers in the department. You will have the opportunity to enhance your skills of argument and critical reflection as you are guided through these exciting areas of research. Topics might include: The Philosophy of Race, Work and the Good Life, Pragmatism, Embodied Cognition, Virtue Theory, Artificial intelligence, Film and Philosophy, and Contemporary Critical Theory.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Identify and critically evaluate core philosophical concepts from the readings
  • ULO2: Produce arguments and analysis of philosophical positions across the readings
  • ULO3: Use your research skills to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the topics.
  • ULO4: Express yourself clearly and precisely when communicating your argument and analysis.

General Assessment Information

Submission of Assessments

All assessment pieces are to be submitted via Turnitin portals that will be made available the unit's iLearn site. Written assessment pieces will be run through the Turnitin software system which detects unoriginal work.

Special Consideration Extensions and Penalties

All work must be submitted on time unless an extension has been granted. Requests for extensions must be made in writing BEFORE the due date and will only be considered on serious grounds. Extensions will not be given unless good reasons and appropriate evidence (e.g., medical certificates, counsellor's letters) are presented at the earliest opportunity. Please note that work due concurrently in other subjects is NOT an exceptional circumstance and does not constitute a legitimate reason for an extension.

Late Assessment Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl.weekends) after the original submission deadline.

Special Consideration Policy

The University classifies a disruption warranting special consideration as serious and unavoidable if it: • could not have reasonably been anticipated, avoided or guarded against by the student; and • was beyond the student's control; and • caused substantial disruption to the student's capacity for effective study and/or completion of required work; and • occurred during an event critical study period and was at least three (3) consecutive days duration, and / or • prevented completion of a final examination. Students with a pre-existing disability/health condition or prolonged adverse circumstances may be eligible for ongoing assistance and support. Such support is governed by other policies and may be sought and coordinated through Campus Wellbeing and Support Services.

How to submit a Special Consideration Notification

A Special Consideration Notification must be completed and submitted online through www.ask.mq.edu.au within five (5) working days of the commencement of the disruption. Applying for Special Consideration: 1. Log in at ask.mq 2. Click 'Special Consideration' from the 'Submit' menu on the left 3. Fill in the required fields as prompted. Once you have completed filling out the information, please click on 'Submit'.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quiz 20% No 23:59 Sundays, fortnightly
Reflective writing tasks 20% No 23:59 10/09/2021
Participation and engagement 20% No Ongoing
Philosophical essay 40% No 23:59 05/11/2021

Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 23:59 Sundays, fortnightly
Weighting: 20%

 

Weekly quizzes testing knowledge of key concepts and arguments

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and critically evaluate core philosophical concepts from the readings

Reflective writing tasks

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 23:59 10/09/2021
Weighting: 20%

 

Reflective writing tasks

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and critically evaluate core philosophical concepts from the readings
  • Produce arguments and analysis of philosophical positions across the readings
  • Use your research skills to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the topics.
  • Express yourself clearly and precisely when communicating your argument and analysis.

Participation and engagement

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%

 

Contribution to discussion and engagement with online tutorial activities. Students are expected to be well-prepared and make a constructive contribution.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and critically evaluate core philosophical concepts from the readings
  • Produce arguments and analysis of philosophical positions across the readings
  • Express yourself clearly and precisely when communicating your argument and analysis.

Philosophical essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 23:59 05/11/2021
Weighting: 40%

 

Philosophical essay

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and critically evaluate core philosophical concepts from the readings
  • Produce arguments and analysis of philosophical positions across the readings
  • Use your research skills to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the topics.
  • Express yourself clearly and precisely when communicating your argument and analysis.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

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, lecture recordings, and other learning materials such as video clips, weblinks, and images. 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. PHIX3056 will be delivered using a combination of online lectures (recorded via Echo360) and online tutorial forum discussions. 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 for tackling Assessment tasks. External students will engage in these activities online via dedicated iLearn discussion forums. For lecture times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable website:

http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au.

This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and classroom locations.

Lectures:

All Lectures for this unit will be pre-recorded via Echo360 and will be posted on the Unit iLearn page on Mondays by 12noon)

Tutorials:

Weekly online tutorial classes will be conducted commencing from Week 2. Week 1 will be an Introductory session where students introduce themselves to each other and we discuss any issues relevant to studying this unit. Weekly Tutorial Discussion Questions will be posted after the lecture recordings have been posted. Students are required to respond to the Tutorial Discussion Questions and engage each other in discussion responding to issues raised in these responses. N.B.: Weekly tutorials will begin in WEEK 2 and will continue until WEEK 12 (Week 13 tutorial will be a voluntary online peer review session for the Essay).

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

PHIX3056 Contemporary Topics in Philosophy will be using electronically available readings available via Leganto on the iLearn website. For Part I, my book will also be a valuable resource and is a recommended background reading: Robert Sinnerbrink, New Philosophies of Film: Thinking Images (Continuum/Bloomsbury, 2011). Textbooks for this unit can be purchased online from Booktopia https://www.booktopia.com.au/coop

The list of Macquarie University S2 2021 units and texts can be found on the Booktopia website.

Unit Schedule

PHIL3056 Contemporary Topics in Philosophy comprises two parts, spanning cutting-edge debates in aesthetics/philosophy of film and in social/virtue epistemology. In Part I, ‘Film as Philosophy’ we will examine recent debates in the philosophy of film, focusing on the idea of ‘film as philosophy’ and the question whether film can contribute to philosophical understanding via cinematic means. As part of this debate we will explore particular case studies/films in depth that focus on emotion, empathy, and the idea of cinematic ethics (using cinema as a medium of ethical experience). In Part II, ‘Trust and Cooperation,’ we will examine the nature of practical and epistemic trust, the ways in which trust fosters cooperation, and the difficulties of placing trust wisely. We will conclude with a discussion of higher-order trust — the phenomenon of trusting someone to tell you whom to trust.

 

Part I 'Film as Philosophy'

Week 1: What is Philosophy of Film/Film-Philosophy?

Week 2: Ontologies of the Moving Image

Week 3: Understanding Film Narrative

Week 4: Cognitivism Goes to the Movies

Week 5: Affect and Emotion in Cinema

Week 6: Cinematic Ethics

Week 7: Film as Philosophy: Pro and Contra

[Mid-semester break]

Part II: 'Trust and Cooperation'

Week 8: What is trust?

Week 9: Cooperation and trust

Week 10: Trusting online

Week 11: The value of distrust

Week 12: Trust and meta-trust

Week 13 (optional): Essay advice

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

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.


Unit information based on version 2021.04 of the Handbook