Students

PHL 382 – Agency and the Self

2018 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer, Tutor
Kelly Hamilton
kelly.hamilton@mq.edu.au
By appointment
Kelly Hamilton
kelly.hamilton@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(39cp at 100 level or above) or admission to GDipArts
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit explores some of the central issues in contemporary philosophical moral psychology. The first section focuses on freedom of the will, the nature of autonomy and debates about whether autonomy is compatible with socialisation. In the second section we discuss a range of issues concerning moral responsibility, including the implications of luck and causal determination for responsibility, whether moral responsibility requires an ability to do otherwise, and the conditions under which persons should be exempted from responsibility for their actions. The third section focuses on contemporary theories of personal identity over time by exploring the differences between metaphysical, practical and narrative theories of identity.

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:

  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.
  • Clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.
  • An ability to undertake independent research.

General Assessment Information

Late Submissions

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.

Please see the section on Policies and Procedures for information on how to apply for Special Consideration.

Assessing Active Participation

Active participation is assessed by a student's engagement in activities such as: discussions facilitated by the lecturer/tutor, contributions to online discussion forums, or general questions asked during lectures or tutorials and involvement in set activities. Participation is expected to be well considered and relevant to the unit of study. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Tutorial Participation 10% No Ongoing
Tutorial presentation 5% No Assigned in class
Online quizzes 15% No Ongoing
Short answer test 30% No 01/10/2018
Essay 40% No 09/11/2018

Tutorial Participation

Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 10%

An important part of philosophy is engaging in active dialogue with others. This mark is allocated on the basis of your participation in both LECTURES and TUTORIALS throughout the semester. 

Internal students must attend at least 6 out of the 10 tutorials to be eligible for the participation mark. If you do not attend at least 6 tutorials, you will receive 0 marks for participation. You may participate in online forums but this will not count towards your participation mark. 

External students must participate in at least 6 different weekly online discussion forums within a week of the relevant lecture to be eligible for the participation mark. This means that the deadline for forum participation will be Tuesdays 11:59pm. If you do not participate in at least 6 different weekly online discussion forums in time, you will receive 0 marks for participation. 

If you meet this minimum requirement, your mark will be awarded on the basis of overall quality of your participation throughout the semester in lectures and tutorials/forums.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.
  • Clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.

Tutorial presentation

Due: Assigned in class
Weighting: 5%

Students will undertake a short presentation in tutorials (5 minutes). This will consist of: 

  1. a summary of a piece of relevant research beyond the required readings;
  2. a brief critical analysis of the main argument of that research;
  3. a critical response to that argument;
  4. a single discussion question that should prompt engagement by other students in the tutorial.

Note: External students will undertake the presentation via a forum post (either in writing or by uploading audio or video) and subsequent discussion.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.
  • An ability to undertake independent research.

Online quizzes

Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 15%

Online quizzes test comprehension and understanding of the required readings. There will be 10 online quizzes worth a total of 15% (or a maximum of 1.5% for each of the 10 quizzes). There will be 5 questions each week. You can attempt each quiz only once and there is a time limit. Quizzes start in Week 2 and run until Week 11 (for the content of Weeks 3 to Week 12).

Note: the quizzes will be open for one week BEFORE the relevant lecture, and the deadline for each quiz will be at Tuesday 11:59pm. For example, the quiz for Week 3 (Frankfurt on freedom of the will, Watson on motives and values) will open on Wednesday Week 2, and close on Tuesday Week 3. The lecture and tutorials will be on Wednesday. This is to ensure that you have read the required readings before your tutorials, and come to the lecture and tutorial prepared. 

As this is a timed assessment, no late submissions will be accepted. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.

Short answer test

Due: 01/10/2018
Weighting: 30%

The short answer test is designed to test your comprehension of the essential readings and arguments in the unit, and your ability to present your understanding of the readings clearly and succinctly. You are not expected to undertake research beyond the essential readings. You will write 4 answers of 450 words each. The questions will be released on 3 September 2018.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.
  • Clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.

Essay

Due: 09/11/2018
Weighting: 40%

The essay (2200 words) is designed to extend your understanding of a specific topic and to test your ability to engage with that topic in depth. Essay writing tests your ability to synthesise material from a range of readings and to express, analyse, and structure key ideas and arguments clearly, logically, and systematically. It also tests your ability to develop your own view, and to argue for that view in a cogent and sustained way. You will be expected to read and incorporate into your paper a minimum of four secondary sources for this assessment as well as material presented in the unit reader. The questions will be released on 8 October 2018.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.
  • Clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.
  • An ability to undertake independent research.

Delivery and Resources

Technology Used and Required

This unit has an online presence in iLearn. Students will need to be able to access this site.

Required Readings

All required readings are in the unit reader. You are responsible for obtaining access to these readings.

Further readings

A list of further readings is available on the unit's iLearn site.

Unit Schedule

Week 1 (1 August)

Lecture 1: Unit outline & brief introduction

No reading for this week (other than the unit guide!).

No tutorials this week.

Week 2 (8 August)

Lecture 2: Background on Agency and Identity: Locke, Hume, and Kant

Required reading:

  1. Selections from Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding: Book II, Chapter 27 "Of Identity and Diversity", Sections 1-11, 14-18, 25-26.
  2. Selection from Hume's Treatise of Human Nature: Book I, Part IV, Section VI on "Of personal identity"; and Book II, Part III, Sect III on "Of the influencing motives of the will."
  3. Selections from Kant's Groundwork III on "On autonomy", Sections 4:446 - 4:463.

No tutorials this week. 

Quiz 1 (for Week 3) opens.

TOPIC 1: Autonomy and Critical Reflection

Week 3 (15 August)

Lecture 3 & Tutorial 1: Frankfurt on freedom of the will, Watson on motives and values

Required reading:

  1. Harry Frankfurt, "Freedom of the will and the concept of a person," The Importance of What We Care About, 1988, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 11-25.
  2. Gary Watson, "Free Agency," Journal of Philosophy, 72(8), 1975. (*Reprint in Unit Reader)

Quiz 2 (for Week 4) opens.

Week 4 (22 August)

Lecture 4 & Tutorial 2: 'Deep self' and integration theories

Required reading:

  1. Marilyn Friedman, "Autonomy and the Split-Level Self," Southern Journal of Philosophy, vol. 24, no. 1, 1986, pp. 19-35.
  2. Susan Wolf, "Sanity and the Metaphysics of Responsibility" in Schoeman (ed.), Responsibility, Character and the Emotions, 1987, pp. 46-62.

Quiz 3 (for Week 5) opens.

Week 5 (29 August)

Lecture 5 & Tutorial 3: Competence and relational theories of autonomy

Required reading:

  1. Catriona Mackenzie & Natalie Stoljar, "Autonomy Refigured," in Mackenzie & Stoljar (eds.) Relational Autonomy, 2000, pp. 3-22.
  2. Diana Meyers, "Personal Autonomy and the Paradox of Feminine Socialization," Journal of Philosophy, 84(11), 1987, pp. 619-628.
  3. Paul Benson, "Autonomy and Oppressive Socialisation," Social Theory and Practice, XVII(3), 1991, pp. 385-408.

Quiz 4 (for Week 6) opens.

TOPIC 2: Moral Responsibility and Freedom

Week 6 (5 September)

Lecture 6 & Tutorial 4: Moral Luck

Required reading:

  1. Thomas Nagel, "Moral Luck," Mortal Questions, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979, pp. 24-38.
  2. Bernard Williams, "Moral Luck," Moral Luck, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981, pp. 20-39.

Quiz 5 (for Week 7) opens.

3 September: Short answer test questions released.

Week 7 (12 September)

Lecture 7 & Tutorial 5: Moral responsibility and 'reactive attitudes'

Required reading:

  1. Peter Strawson, "Freedom and Resentment", Freedom and Resentment and Other Essays, London: Methuen, 1974, pp. 1-25.
  2. Gary Watson, "Responsibility and the Limits of Evil: Variations on a Strawsonian Theme," in Schoeman (ed.) Responsibility, Character and the Emotions, 1987, pp. 119-148.

Quiz 6 (for Week 8) opens (and will remain open until Tuesday 2 October).

MID SEMESTER BREAK

1 October: Short answer test due

Week 8 (3 October)

Lecture 8 & Tutorial 6: 'Could have done otherwise,' moral responsibility, and incompatibilism

Required reading:

  1. Harry Frankfurt, "Alternate possibilities and moral responsibility," The Importance of What We Care About, 1988, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-10.
  2. Derk Pereboom, "Hard Incompatibilism," in John Martin Fischer, Robert Kane, Derk Pereboom & Manuel Vargas, Four Views on Free Will, Oxford: Blackwell, 2007, pp. 85-125.

Quiz 7 (for Week 9) opens.

TOPIC 3: Personal, Practical, and Narrative Identity

Week 9 (10 October)

Lecture 9 & Tutorial 7: Parfit: Persons, Bodies, and Survival

Required reading:

  1. Derek Parfit, "What we believe ourselves to be" [Ch10], "How we are not what we believe" [Ch11], Reasons and Persons, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984, pp. 200-243.

Quiz 8 (for Week 10) opens.

8 October: Essay questions released.

Week 10 (17 October)

Lecture 10 & Tutorial 8: Practical Identity: Responses to Parfit

Required reading:

  1. Susan Wolf, "Self-Interest and Interest in Selves", Ethics, 96 (4), 1986, pp. 704-720.
  2. Christine Korsgaard, "Personal Identity and the Unity of Agency: A Kantian Response to Parfit", Philosophy and Public Affairs, 10 (2), 1989, pp. 363-397.

Quiz 9 (for Week 11) opens.

Week 11 (24 October)

Lecture 11 & Tutorial 9: Narrative Self-Constitution

Required reading:

  1. Catriona Mackenzie, "Practical Identity and Narrative Agency", in Catriona Mackenzie & Kim Atkins (eds.), Practical Identity and Narrative Agency, New York: Routledge, 2008, pp. 1-17.
  2. Marya Schechtman, "The Narrative Self-Constitution View", The Constitution of Selves, Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press, 1996, pp. 93-135.

Quiz 10 (for Week 12) opens. This is your final quiz.

Week 12 (31 October)

Lecture 12 & Tutorial 10: The Self and Meaningfulness

Required reading:

  1. Susan Wolf, "Meaning in Life", Meaning in Life and Why it Matters, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010, pp. 1-33.
  2. Cheshire Calhoun, "Losing one's self", in Catriona Mackenzie & Kim Atkins (eds), Practical Identity and Narrative Agency, New York: Routledge, 2008, pp. 193-211.

No quiz this week.

Week 13 (7 November)

No lecture or tutorial this week.

No quiz this week.

9 November: Essay due.

Policies and Procedures

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).

Student Code of Conduct

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

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.

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 improve your marks and take control of your study.

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

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.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Tutorial presentation
  • Short answer test
  • Essay

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Essay

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.
  • An ability to undertake independent research.

Assessment task

  • Essay

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.
  • Clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.
  • An ability to undertake independent research.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Online quizzes
  • Short answer test
  • Essay

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.
  • Clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Short answer test
  • Essay

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • An ability to evaluate these theories and arguments critically.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.
  • Clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Essay

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • Clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Tutorial presentation
  • Short answer test
  • Essay

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • A good general knowledge of some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary philosophical accounts of autonomy, moral responsibility, and personal identity.
  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.
  • The ability to develop your own view or perspective through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments in the unit.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Essay

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • An ability to understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Essay