Unit information: Personal Option Unit in 2022/23

Unit name	Personal Option Unit
Unit code	PHILM0038
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Jones
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

Unit Information

This unit offers students the opportunity to tailor a personal piece of study by affiliation to an available and appropriate unit that is in keeping with the objectives of the programme on which the student is studying. This is typically an undergraduate unit in the Department of Philosophy.

The student will attend the teaching of the associated unit. They will use this to guide their development of an M-level essay (or equivalent) based on the themes and structure of the unit chosen.

Aims: This unit will enable students to:

• Identify a suitable topic for a small-scale independent research project on a given theme developed within a taught unit
• Structure their patterns of study independently while benefitting from structured class time within a taught unit
• Conduct a small-scale independent study
• Produce a 6,000 word essay or other assignment(s) of comparable academic weight, as approved by the unit leader of the unit on which it is based, and in keeping with the objectives of the programme on which the student is studying.

Your learning on this unit

On successful completion of this unit students will have:

• Developed their knowledge and understanding of their particular topic and method of research
• Demonstrated a capacity to approach research in an appropriately conceived and structured way, making use of appropriate methodologies
• Have structured their own independent patterns of study in relation to the structure of the unit in which they have been engaged
• Produced a 6,000 word essay or other assignment(s) of comparable academic weight as approved by the unit leader and in keeping with the objectives of the programme on which the student is enrolled.

How you will learn

Attendance of appropriate elements of the associated unit in consultation with the unit leader; guided reading; independent study.

How you will be assessed

6,000 word essay or other assignment(s) of comparable academic weight; as approved by the unit leader and in keeping with the objectives of the programme on which the student is enrolled.

Resources

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. PHILM0038).

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 Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
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. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.