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PH306J: PHILOSOPHY OF GAMES AND SPORTS (2020-2021)

Last modified: 24 Jun 2020 14:40


Course Overview

The first part of the course will be devoted to a close reading of Bernard Suits’s masterpiece, The Grasshopper. In the second part of the course, we will examine philosophical issues arising in the context of sports, including (but not limited to) winning and cheating, doping and other forms of performance enhancement, the moral significance of sport, and gender and sex equality in sports.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Term First Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Federico Luzzi

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme
  • One of Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

What are games? How do they differ from other activities? Is it possible to be playing games without knowing it? Could our life be simply an all-encompassing game? The first part of the course will be devoted to a close reading of Bernard Suits’s masterpiece, The Grasshopper, in which a definition of the notion of ‘game’ is advanced and defended from several objections in a playful Socratic dialogue between the Grasshopper and his disciples. In the second part of the course, we will examine philosophical issues arising in the context of sports, including (but not limited to) winning and cheating, doping and other forms of performance enhancement, the moral significance of sport, and gender and sex equality in sports.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Quizzes (20%)

Short essay (25%)

Long essay (55%)

 

Resit: 2500 words essay (100%)

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandAcquire and demonstrate knowledge of the subject areas
ConceptualUnderstandAcquire an understanding of the philosophical literature relevant to the topics
ProceduralEvaluateDevelop critical thinking skills
ReflectionCreateDevelop proficiency in written and oral communication skills.
ProceduralCreateLearn to frame arguments and to communicate arguments to a group of peers.

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