Outline

Overview

This is a unit in metaphysics: the discipline that tells us about the nature of the world. The unit carries on from the Reality component of first year. We engage with questions like: What is time? What is space? What makes something a person? How much change can I undergo and still be me? Are objects four-dimensional space-time worms? Do the past or future exist, and could we travel to them? Are there numbers?

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PHIL2622
Academic unit	Philosophy
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	PHIL3662
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 1000 level in Philosophy
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	David Braddon-Mitchell, david.braddon-mitchell@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	David Braddon-Mitchell, david.braddon-mitchell@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Small test	Short multiple choice quizzes n/a	22%	-	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay n/a	33%	Mid-semester break Due date: 14 Apr 2022 at 23:59	1400 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Take home exercise n/a	45%	Week 13 Due date: 27 May 2022 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction and outline of course	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	From the unreality of time to eternalism	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Presentism and the growing block	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Branching time and related matters	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Endurance and perdurance I	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Perdurance and exdurance	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Personal identity over time	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Identity by degrees	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Time travel	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Possibility and necessity	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Counterpart theory and transworld identity	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Causation and the laws of nature	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Workshop on take home questions	Lecture (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understanding of various terms that are general to Anglo-American philosophy and further: exam- ples include analytic, a priori, a posteriori, necessity, possibility, qualia, valid, invalid and so on. Throughout the course I’ll be highlighting these terms in lectures and introducing short quizzes and polls to help the mastery of these
LO2. Capacity to form arguments: what I want from you is to be able to demonstrate that you can do philosophy. This means not just reporting what famous philosophers have thought, but having a con- sidered opinion of your own as to whether they are right. But a considered opinion is not jus the opinion you get when you consider a lot! It is an opinion backed up by arguments that follow valid patterns of reasoning from particular premises. Often we will hope that when your opinion differs from another philosopher it will be either because you can locate a premise in their reasoning which is different form yours, or else you can say where there has been a mistake in their reasoning.
LO3. Developing a critical and enquiring attitude to questions. There is disagreement. Why? Is that the disagreement is merely apparent because terms are being used differently? (Often the case sadly) Is there a difference in premises or assumptions? Is there a difference in what is regarded as a good rule of inference? Learn to be surprised by differences of opinion, and to seek out the differ- ences that explain them.
LO4. Learn to read philosophy: reading philosophy is unlike most other reading that you have to do in the humanities. You must read very slowly, and you must read again and again. Often with a diffi- cult article you will be none the wiser after the first read. Sort out what the conclusion is, where it fits in the debate you are dealing with, how the author’s assumptions help. Read it again. Take some notes. Discuss it with some other students.
LO5. Learning to research in philosophy, in particular how to use original article database systems via the University Library
LO6. Understand the nature of the time, causation and identity , and have an informed opinion on the different views in debates in the area(even if it is the opinion that we can’t tell yet!) as to which side is right.
LO7. See that there is a real problem in both forming the questions, and justifying the answers to them
LO8. Have an understanding of the ten broad topics we will deal with

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PHIL2622: Reality, Time and Possibility: Metaphysics

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect