Philosophy Today (PHIL3002)

There are NINE tutorials, held in Weeks 2 - 10.

Tutorial work involves two components: Tutorial participation and in-class activities. (Students with an accommodation must contact the course coordinator to arrange alternatives.) 10% is awarded to participation in each of the 3 modules of the course.

Tutorial work enables steady development of skills in philosophical analysis and critical thinking. A Community of Inquiry approach is taken where students work together to solve problems. Students will be judged on their ability to work collaboratively to progress arguments, generate critical questions and prompts, and discuss competing interpretations and points of view. 

Tutorials are mandatory and attendance will be taken. Marks are not awarded for attendance but for contributions to collective discussion and completion of set tasks. Alternative or make-up work will be assigned to students who miss a tutorial due to medical or other legitimate reasons. 

During tutorials, students are expected to:

1. Demonstrate evidence of comprehension of the texts assigned for reading each week through preparation and participation in the tutorial. Required readings will be marked 'required' and made available through the Library.

2. Come to class with work prepared as assigned the week before each tutorial. This course may integrate the use of Generative AI as part of the tutorial program.

3. Complete set tasks during the tutorial.

Your tutorial participation will be assessed according to the following criteria:

1.             Evidence of participation in discussions.

2.             Evidence of preparation for the tutorial, most notably through completing the set readings.

3.             Quality of contributions to discussions.

4.             Fostering of group discussions, through courteous and respectful interactions with staff and students.

5.             Attendance is necessary to fulfill the above criteria, as per the course requirements, but marks cannot be awarded for attendance alone.

To achieve a grade of 7 (High Distinction, 85-100%), your attendance will be flawless and your participation exceptional. This grade reflects exceptional levels of preparation, mastery of course materials, and very high quality contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions. You should be able to engage with your peers very effectively.

To achieve a grade of 6 (Distinction, 75-84) your attendance will be excellent and your participation very substantial. This grade reflects excellent levels of preparation, knowledge of course materials, and high quality contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions. You should be able to engage with your peers effectively.

To achieve a grade of 5 (Credit, 65 – 74%), your attendance and participation will be good. This grade reflects proficient levels of preparation, good knowledge of course materials, and good quality contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

To achieve a grade of 4 (Pass, 50 – 64%) your attendance and participation will be satisfactory. This grade reflects adequate levels of preparation and knowledge of course materials, and an acceptable quality of contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

To achieve a grade of 3 (Marginal Fail, 45 – 49%) your attendance and participation will be unsatisfactory. This grade reflects irregular attendance and/or participation and superficial knowledge of course materials and basic levels of preparation. However, when in attendance, there is evidence of your ability to demonstrate developing achievement in contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

To achieve a grade of 2 (Fail, 25-44%), your attendance and participation will be very unsatisfactory. This grade reflects irregular attendance and/or participation, minimal knowledge of course materials, little evidence of preparation, and mixed to low quality of contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

To achieve a grade of 1 (Low Fail, 0-24%), your attendance and participation will be unsatisfactory. This grade reflects irregular attendance and/or participation, an no evidence of preparation, and little or no evidence of quality of contributions to, and fostering of, group discussion.

The tasks will be done within tutorials from weeks 2-10 and will relate to the work covered in lectures and using other stimulus materials provided.

There are aspects of this assessment:

1) Collaborative reasoning (discussion board/online platforms)

Your discussion board assessment will be assessed according to the following criteria:

1.      Degree to which stated questions and topics have been addressed.

2.      Demonstration of engagement with set readings.

3.      Demonstration of a clear understanding of the sources used.

4.      Clear and concise expression.

5.      Completion of discussion board postings, as per the course requirements.

To achieve a grade of 7 (High Distinction, 85-100%), your discussion board postings will reflect exceptional levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings, and will be very well written, clear and concise with minimal, if any errors.

To achieve a grade of 6 (Distinction, 75-84%), your discussion board postings will reflect advanced levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings, and will be well written, clear and concise with minimal errors.

To achieve a grade of 5 (Credit, 65 – 74%), your discussion board postings will reflect proficient levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings, and will be proficiently written with few errors.

To achieve a grade of 4 (Pass, 50 – 64%), your discussion board postings will reflect functional levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings, and use an appropriate standard of written expression, perhaps with some errors.

To achieve a grade of 3 (Marginal Fail, 45 – 49%), your discussion board postings will reflect superficial levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings. They will use an adequate standard of written expression with some errors.

To achieve a grade of 2 (Fail, 25-44%), your discussion board postings will reflect minimal levels of engagement with and poor understanding of the prescribed readings, and use a poor or inappropriate standard of written expression. They may also have several errors.

To achieve a grade of 1 (Low Fail, 0-24%), your discussion board postings will be irregular and/or fail to engage with or demonstrate that you understand the prescribed readings. They will be poorly written and may also have several errors.

2) Reflective Journal entries

Your diary/reflective journal assessment task will be assessed according to the following criteria:

1. Degree to which set questions and topic have been addressed.

2. Understanding and engagement with set reading or other materials as required. 

3. Clear and concise written expression, well presented. 

4. Completion of diary entries, as per course requirements. 

To achieve a grade of 7 (High Distinction, 85-100%), your diary will provide an exceptional response to the set topic, demonstrate exceptional levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings, and use very clear and concise expression with minimal, if any errors.

To achieve a grade of 6 (Distinction, 75-84%), your diary will provide an advanced level of response to the set topic, demonstrate very high levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings, and use clear and concise, largely error free expression.

To achieve a grade of 5 (Credit, 65 – 74%), your diary will provide a proficient response to the set topic, demonstrate high levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings, and use an effective standard of written expression.

To achieve a grade of 4 (Pass, 50 – 64%), your diary will provide a basic response to the set topic, demonstrate functional levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings, and use an appropriate standard of written expression sufficient to convey your ideas

To achieve a grade of 3 (Marginal Fail, 45 – 49%), your diary will show that your entry has failed to meet the requirements for a passing grade, but that there is evidence of developing levels of achievement. You will have attempted to respond to the set topic, attempted to engage with and understand the prescribed readings. You will have used an appropriate a standard of written expression sufficient to convey your ideas.

To achieve a grade of 2 (Fail, 25-44%), your diary will show that you have provided an unsatisfactory response to the set topic, that your levels of engagement with and understanding of the prescribed readings are minimal, and that your expression is poor and/or inappropriate.

To achieve a grade of 1 (Low Fail, 0-24%), your diary will show that you have provided an unsatisfactory response to the set topic, that you have failed to engage with and understand the prescribed readings, and that your expression is poor and/or unsatisfactory.

Attendance during lecture hours in weeks 11-13 is compulsory to receive a grade for this component of the course. This is when students will be collaboratively conducting their planning exercises in their groups.

This is a three-part task:

Part A: Preparation and Planning (10%) (500 words)

Students will either form themselves into groups of four or be assigned to groups of four to work on a scenario planning exercise. Groups will identify two critical uncertainties from two distinct categories (e.g., PESTLE categories) and generate four plausible future scenarios justifying what makes each scenario plausible. The focus of the research is on the opportunities and threats posed by the combination of those uncertainties to Australia in 2035 given the broader geopolitical context.

Each individual student will be responsible for one scenario, which they will submit to Turnitin. Draw on megatrends and other data sources in constructing your scenarios. Collectively formulate a strategy for preparing now to chart a course to a preferred outcome among the set of plausible future outcomes. Students will be required to submit an argument map of their proposed scenario for feedback prior to submission of the scenario plan.

Students will apply collaborative reasoning techniques to develop ideas and feedback on each other's work. They will be asked to reflect on their experience of agency and autonomy working in the group and broader context of the course.

This is a team assignment as befitting strategic planning in organisational contexts, but teams will be required to delegate tasks to individual members and document individual contributions.

Part B: Scenario Planning Report (25%) (1500 words)

Students will produce individual scenarios, undergoing a peer-review process to improve on previous drafts, and then engage in a strategic thinking exercise to produce a single strategy that would work across any of the scenarios generated to improve outcomes for Australia. The four scenarios, the strategy and the author statements (see below) are then compiled into a single report with an introduction and conclusion (prepared by the group). Individual scenarios are submitted to Turnitin and the full report sent by email to all course coordinators).

Part C: Author Statement (5%) (300 words)

Each member of the team will be required to submit an author statement documenting their role in the scenario planning process and their contribution to the final product. Consult Scenario Planning Task Sheet under Blackboard for more detail.

Note on AI:

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.

A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.