Play, games and Recreation
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| PHIL3032 | Philosophy | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- PHIL3032
- School
- Philosophy
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
In this module, we will explore, in detail, the nature and value of recreational activities. Much of our life is filled with compulsory work, but when free of obligation, when at leisure, we play in many different ways. Is this what gives our lives meaning? The notions of agency and authenticity will swim alongside ideas of deviance and oppression. We will think about the social meanings created in our apparently frivolous free-time. We will pit “whatever floats your boat” against perfectionist theories of human nature and ask whether its worth risking it all for achievements with no practical utility. We will ask if there is any point to it all. Should we take anything seriously? In the module we will examine and critically evaluate competing ideas and arguments from relevant literature and learn to apply these to understanding those things we do for ‘fun’.
Target Students
Third year single honours and joint honours Philosophy students. Also available to Liberal Arts students in their final year who have completed either PHIL1012 or PHIL1013. Also available to exchange students.
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Presentation: Presentation
- 50% Portfolio: One portfolio of collected reflections, maximum 3,000 words in total
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
The aim of this module is to examine the nature and value of games, play and recreation using relevant philosophical concepts and relating to a wide range of philosophical discussions. By the end of the module students should have an advanced understanding of, and be in a position to critically evaluate, various ideas about the nature and value of games, play and recreation. Further, students should have demonstrated the ability to collectively develop independent evaluations of specific recreational activities and give an aural presentation of these evaluations.Learning Outcomes
A. Knowledge and Understanding.
By the end of this module you should be:
A1. Have knowledge of a number of philosophical debates and technical terms that can be applied to help understand the nature and value of games, play and recreation.
A2. Understand how these debates relate to understanding at least one particular recreational activity and the appropriate application of relevant technical terms to this activity/these activities.
B. Intellectual skills.
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- B1. Identify the underlying issues in the debates discussed.
- B2. Analyse the structure of complex and controversial problems, with an understanding of major strategies of reasoning designed to solve such problems.
- B3. Read carefully and interpret texts drawn from a variety of traditions, with sensitivity to context.
- B4. Abstract, analyse and construct good arguments, employing techniques of formal and informal methods of reasoning as appropriate, together with an ability to recognise any relevant fallacies.
- B5. Recognise and judge for yourself the strengths and weaknesses of arguments for different positions.
- B6. Appreciate and articulate how cultural context shapes philosophical thought and practice.
- B7. Reason together collectively, listen productively to each others views and come up with joint positions.
C. Practical Skills.
By the end of this module you should be able to
- C1. Identify textually-based arguments and subject their structure and implications to rigorous assessment.
- C2. Understand any relevant specialist philosophical terminology and be able to use it properly.
- C3. Review unfamiliar ideas with an open mind and a willingness to change one’s mind when appropriate.
- C4. Locate ideas and concerns within their historical and cultural context and explain this to others.
- C5. Work with others to deliver group presentations of jointly shaped ideas, independently networking with other students and organising meetings.
D. Transferable skills.
By the end of this module you should be able to
- D1. Express views on issues clearly and concisely in writing.
- D2. Participate effectively and appropriately in constructive debate on relevant issues.
- D3. Work autonomously and manage one’s own work to time limits.
- D4. Marshal a complex body of information, construct cogent arguments in the evaluation of this material, and present a clear and well-structured assessment of relevant considerations.
- D5. Think creatively, self-critically and independently about new and unfamiliar problems.
- D6. Explain non-academic/popular culture ideas about games, play and recreation from in a clear, concise, and philosophically precise manner.
- D7. Demonstrate information Literacy by independently finding and evaluate (academic and non-academic) sources of information.