Established by: Head of Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, 2025-02-03
Contents
Games are a fun way to pass the time, but they hardly seem like a serious or important endeavour. We are ready to mock people for wasting too much time playing online shooters or table-top role-playing games. There is an obvious explanation why games are little more than an indulgence we afford ourselves: the outcomes rarely matter. So why do we spend so much time, energy, and money on them?
This course introduces students to recent work on the question why games matter. The course focuses particularly on recent arguments that the process of playing games is important, even though the goals of games are unimportant. Students are introduced to this approach through Games: Agency as Art by C. Thi Nguyen, which draws on resources from ludology, philosophy of agency, and aesthetics. We will critically engage with Nguyen's proposal and the response it received in the philosophical literature from, among others, Thomas Hurka, Quill Kukla, and Antonia Peacocke.
Throughout, the course offers a hands-on approach to philosophical writing. Students get the opportunity to practice crucial steps in the philosophical writing process: information intake, writing a first draft, providing and receiving feedback on drafts, and rewriting drafts into polished essays. These exercises allow students to develop their writing skills while acquiring in-depth knowledge of current debates in the philosophy of games.
Expected learning outcomes
To pass the course, the student must demonstrate:
Knowledge and understanding of:
Standard philosophical positions on the nature and value of games
Central concepts in aesthetics and philosophy of art
Skills and abilities:
Produce original philosophical texts of high quality
Critically assess philosophical arguments and theses
Provide constructive feedback on philosophical writing
Reconstruct and evaluate philosophical disagreements
Attitude and assessment:
display an understanding of strengths and weaknesses of central theories and arguments in the philosophical debate on the nature and value of games.
Required Knowledge
Students admitted to the course must have at least 30 ECTS credits in the humanities or the social sciences, or equivalent, as well as English B/6 level or equivalent.
Form of instruction
The teaching is conducted online through lectures and as well as interactive writing assignments. Teaching will be asynchronous.
Examination modes
The examination consists of four take-home essay assignments in the form of essay assignments and active participation. Active participation will consist of (i) providing written feedback on assignments by other students, (ii) an online multiple-choice quiz on the course contents, and (iii) a short, written presentation on the Canvas forum. On the first three home exams, one of the grades is given as Fail (U) and Pass (G), the last home exam is assessed with the grades Fail (U), Pass (G) and Pass with Distinction (VG). For active participation, one of the grades is given as Fail (U) and Pass (G). For a Pass grade (G) it is required that all mandatory elements have been passed. For a Pass with Distinction (VG) it is required that the last essay task has been assessed as Pass with Distinction. All examinations are conducted online.
A re-examination must be offered no later than two months after the regular exam, however, the re-examination must be offered no earlier than ten working days after the results of the regular exam have been announced and a copy of the students' exam is available. For tests conducted during the months of May and June, the first re-examination may be offered within three months of the regular test. In addition, at least one further re-examination must be offered within one year of the regular examination, so-called collection test. Those who have passed the exam may not undergo a new exam for a higher grade.
The examiner can decide on deviations from the examination form of the syllabus. Individual adaptation of the form of examination must be considered according to the student's needs. The form of examination is adapted within the framework of the curriculum's expected study results. Students who need an adapted examination must request adaptation from the institution responsible for the course no later than 10 working days before the examination. The examiner decides on an adapted examination, which is then notified to the student.
Other regulations
In the event that the syllabus expires or undergoes major changes, students are guaranteed at least three exams (including regular exams) according to the regulations in the syllabus on which the student was originally registered for a period of a maximum of two years from the previous syllabus expires or the course has been discontinued.
In granting a university degree, this course may not be combined with any other course that has a similar content. In case of uncertainty, the student should consult the Director of Studies at the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.
