Students
PHIL3052 – Social and Existential Questions
2021 – Session 1, Fully online/virtual
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
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
Room 611, 25B Wally's Walk
By appointment
Lecturer and Tutor
Albert Atkin
Lecturer and Tutor
Brigid Martin
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
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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 brings a philosophical lens to some of the great social and existential challenges of our times. We examine some of the key sources of existential meaning in human life, such as: personal freedom, identity, work, and a sense of belonging. We look at some of the prevailing ways in which these sources are currently threatened in contemporary society. The unit also considers some concrete ethical and political options for dealing with these challenges. Some examples of questions that may be explored in the unit include: What is the meaning we look for in our lives? Is spiritual belief an important or even a necessary element of human life? How does work fit in our idea of a good life? How can we live well together given our different gender, cultural and ethnic identities? |
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: explain the history and meaning of concepts in existentialist and social philosophy.
- ULO2: analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
- ULO3: apply existentialist and social-philosophy approaches in broader social, cultural, and political debates.
- ULO4: investigate and theorise ideas clearly, cogently, and convincingly through critical analysis and philosophical discussion.
General Assessment Information
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 Turnitn software which detects unoriginal work.
Extensions and Disruption to Studies 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 – 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.
To obtain an extension you must submit a Disruption to Studies application. See below for details.
Disruption to Studies Policy
The University classifies a disruption 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 Disruption to Studies Notification
The Disruption to Studies 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'.
How to submit a Disruption to Studies Notification The Disruption to Studies 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online quizzes | 20% | No | Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 |
| Philosophical Essay | 40% | No | Week 13 |
| Reflective tasks | 20% | No | Week 6 |
| Participation | 20% | No | Weeks 2-12 |
Online quizzes
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
Weighting: 20%
Online quizzes
On successful completion you will be able to:
- explain the history and meaning of concepts in existentialist and social philosophy.
Philosophical Essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%
An argumentative essay analysing and responding to key problems and theories from the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- explain the history and meaning of concepts in existentialist and social philosophy.
- analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
- apply existentialist and social-philosophy approaches in broader social, cultural, and political debates.
- investigate and theorise ideas clearly, cogently, and convincingly through critical analysis and philosophical discussion.
Reflective tasks
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 20%
Reflective tasks
On successful completion you will be able to:
- explain the history and meaning of concepts in existentialist and social philosophy.
- analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
- apply existentialist and social-philosophy approaches in broader social, cultural, and political debates.
- investigate and theorise ideas clearly, cogently, and convincingly through critical analysis and philosophical discussion.
Participation
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Weeks 2-12
Weighting: 20%
Engagement in discussion and associated activities either in-class or online. Students should be prepared for the discussion by reading set papers in advance, and formulating questions for discussion with their fellow students.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- explain the history and meaning of concepts in existentialist and social philosophy.
- apply existentialist and social-philosophy approaches in broader social, cultural, and political debates.
- investigate and theorise ideas clearly, cogently, and convincingly through critical analysis and philosophical discussion.
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. PHIL3052 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:
Tuesday 9am-11am (Echo360 Online Lecture Recordings will be Livestreamed and then posted on Tuesday morning after 11am)
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 an online peer review session for the Essay).
Unit Schedule
PART I - The Question of Existence
Week 1 Introduction: What is Existentialism?
Required Reading: Stephen Crowell, 'Existentialism', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, online entry (2015): https://plato.stanfor d.edu/entries/existentialism/
Week 2 - Camus and the Question of the Absurd
Required Reading: Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, chapter 1
Week 3 - Heidegger on Anxiety and Mortality
Required Reading: extracts from Martin Heidegger, Being and Time, What is Metaphysics?
Week 4 - Sartre on Consciousness and Freedom
Required Reading: extract from Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism\
Part II: Ethics and Politics as Existential Tasks
Week 5 - The Problem of the Other
Required Reading: Heidegger, “The They” (from Being and Time); Sartre’s “being-for-other” (from Being and Nothingness and No Exit).
Week 6 - De Beauvoir and Feminist Existentialism
Required Reading: Simone de Beauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity, chapter 1; extracts from The Second Sex
Week 7 - Arendt on Freedom, Action, and Democracy
Required Reading: Hannah Arendt, extracts from The Human Condition
Week 8 - Black existentialism
Required Reading: Jean-Paul Sartre, Black Orpheus; Frantz Fanon, extracts from Black Skin, White Masks; Lewis Gordon, extracts from Existence in Black
Part III - Philosophical Approaches to Race
Week 9 - The Norms of Racist Speech
Week 10 - Race and Incarceration
Week 11 - Racial Profiling
Week 12 - Intersectionality
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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
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 2021.02 of the Handbook