| Unit name | Agency and Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL20070 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Stamets |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Having ‘free will’ means having a special kind of agency: being the author or source of (some of) one’s own actions as well as certain consequences of these, including effects on one’s character, one’s future possibilities, and the well-being of others. It is difficult to truly escape the conviction that we do sometimes act freely: that, e.g., we can make choices which are genuinely ‘up to’ us. Yet this commonsense understanding of ourselves and our place in the world is challenged in a variety of ways, including arguments that free will is incompatible with determinism as well as indeterminism. Moreover, if it turns out that we lack free will, then our practices of moral accountability might seem altogether unjustifiable: it would be hard to see how anyone could ever deserve praise or blame, and reward or punishment, for anything they do.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit explores a range of fundamental questions about human agency – questions which, though sometimes complex and abstract, have direct import for concerns of everyday life. Its core topics are debates over the correct account of free will and moral responsibility, including careful attention to the metaphysics of agency and action. Further topics might include personal identity, the nature of the self, collective agency, or the agency of non-human animals or AI. The unit builds upon content covered in C/4 units and complements I/5 units that focus on topics such as metaphysics, meta-ethics, and philosophy of mind.
An overview of content
The unit will cover a range of compatibilist and incompatibilist positions on free will, including classical and contemporary compatibilist positions, the three main varieties of libertarianism about free will, and other types of incompatibilism (including hard incompatibilism). Particular attention will be paid to the metaphysics of agency: to the ways in which one’s positions concerning ontology, powers, causation, and laws of nature can inform one’s views about human agency and action. It will then move to consider recent debates about the nature, source, and scope of moral responsibility, starting with the question of whether being responsible requires acting freely.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Students will acquire an understanding of how philosophical positions concerning human agency (i) have direct relevance to everyday concerns and (ii) depend, in various ways, upon more fundamental positions in metaphysics and philosophy of mind. Students will also acquire the ability to apply the ideas and positions studied in the unit to other areas of philosophy, including applied ethics, philosophy of technology, and more.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
(1) Explain ideas clearly and precisely to demonstrate detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the central debates concerning free will and moral responsibility;
(2) Critically evaluate positions and debates in the primary and secondary literature;
(3) Construct persuasive philosophical arguments appropriate to level I/5;
(4) Collaboratively, critically, and charitably engage with peers’ philosophical arguments and ideas through written debate.
Students will learn via 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of seminar per week. Lectures will be focused on introducing key content, including situating the questions, positions, and arguments covered in each week’s material within the larger debates of concern. As the unit’s topics are likely to generate enthusiastic discussion, seminars will be oriented toward maximizing the opportunity for discussion and debate among students. The group debate task is a collaborative activity designed to get students not only reflecting and debating with one another, but working together to problem-solve. The essay, in turn, is an opportunity for each student to independently research, reflect, and write on a question selected from a list of options, articulating and defending a philosophical view of their own
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Group meetings to prepare for the Group Debate Task.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Group Debate Task (20%) [ILOs 1, 3, 4]
Essay, 3,000 words (80%) [ILOs 1, 2, 3]
When assessment does not go to plan:
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHIL20070).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
