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Michael Gumbrell

TMA 02

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So I got my mark back for TMA02, 74%, that means I am firmly in the 2:1 bracket so far for DD316.

TMA03 is due in two weeks, Thanks to February being such a short month, so got to get cracking with that.

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Michael Gumbrell

Tma done

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Got my TMA1 done and submitted in time, not sure if it is any good.

Block 2 is more interesting, all about the 'state' and what legitimises them 

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Michael Gumbrell

tma 2 came back

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So I got the TMA 2 score back- 65%.

So I am averaging 60% so far for DD209.

I won't complain, it is a pass mark so far, considering how hard it is and how challenging fitting it all in is with working full time, I think I am at the limit of my abilities averaging 60%.

So no complaints from me, all is good.

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Michael Gumbrell

Essay styles

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Last year A222 revealed that philosophy essays need to be written in a different format to other essays.

Having had a look at the first question for DD209 it would appear that economics essays also require a specific format.

So i booked on to the online tutorial this Tuesday so that i can get informed about what format i need to be using.


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Michael Gumbrell

Finally TMA of A222

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Got my final TMA06 back.

The last essay of #bloodyA222...

I got 60%, so i end up with an OCAS of 60% for the module, so a grade 3 pass in O.U speak, or a 2:2 pass in normal undergraduate speak.

Just happy to be shot of this module in all honesty, it has been awful.

So just the exam to knock out and i can move onto the first economics module.

Lets hope the A222 exam goes okay.

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Michael Gumbrell

No more philosophy tma's

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Well, my struggle is almost over... i wrote my tma6 this week and got it submitted... so only the exam in three weeks and thats philosophy done.

Philosophy done and never to be returned to.

I will have 2 economics and one more politics module to due.

So my philosophy exam is on Tuesday 5th of June 2018...and that will be my exact half way point... it will be 2 economics and one politics to the finish line.

So quote an emotional time... it is just a shame that at the moment the strongest emotion is contempt. I have little but contempt for this philosophy module... i can't say i have hated every moment of it... the first two weeks were okay ( probably because i had not worked out what was going on in those first two weeks) but after that initial period of grace, the contempt started to build.

I have the exam revision lecture tomorrow, so just stomach that and did the exam done and i will be free.

FREE... in the John Locke essence of ''natural freedom' or Berlins essence of ' negative freedom'?

Either way, to quote Bob Dylan....

" i shall be released "

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Michael Gumbrell

Dualism

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So lurching onto tMA 5 we go, Rene Descartes and the idea of dualism.

Is our mind a 'different' thing to our body.

Dualism, are they two distinctly separate things?

My response to the idea that we are two separate things, our bodies and mind is NO.

But that is too simple an answer for the TMA, so we need to have a deeper explanation of the NO.

So here we go, TMA 5 , so near the end and i will be so happy to be shot of this module...

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Michael Gumbrell

New philosophical lows...

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So my tma 4 scored 53. Lowest mark i have had throughout this module and the lowest of all my modules so far....


But the question is... do i double down?

My OCAS so far is s grade three pass. I can turn in two more tma's that hover around 50 and get a grade three pass.

I could not bother to do the last two tms's and drop to a grade 4 pass...

Then it all rides on the exam. Anything exam score over 40% for a grade 4 pass or over 55% for a grade three. I cannot see any possible way i could hit 70% or higher in the exam to jail a grade 2 pass.

This is all disappointing, the two modules before this one i have been in the 80-85% range...


So i wonder if i should play ball and submit the final 2 tma's, or should i not bother with them? Or even better, mis represent the next tma question into a sarcastic rant about how awful i have found this module and philosophy in general. 

I would love to hear what Simon thinks about my situation. Without his wise words i might have lost my rag with this module much sooner

So i cannot thank Simon Reed enough for his support and his wise perspective.

#bloodyA222 .


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Michael Gumbrell

tma 4

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Well i wrote 700 words for my TMa 4 last week, now i hate those 700 words, and so need to sit down and write anew.

#bloodya222.

Round and round it goes , this module is so frustrating....

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Michael Gumbrell

book 4

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so i have worked through book 4, knowledge, Kuhn is much more interesting than Popper, however Popper is the tma theme.

so i have three weeks to write the tma 4, i seem stuck with 63-69% scores, my advice was i need to change my writing style to score higher, however this is only one module of six, and my ocas up to this point was 82%, so i might well just grind out more 68% tmas for this module, and keep my eye on the bigger prize, after all #bloddya222 is the only philosophy module i will be doing on my degree pathway.

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Michael Gumbrell

So tired, tired of waiting..

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Still waiting for my tma 03 mark.

I am already 75% through book 4 already. I have already started the tma 4.

I have also downloaded the last 6 years of exam questions and put them into a matrix to inform my revision.

I have a question for simon reed. In your comment to the blog post below, you mentioned last years a222, book 3 tma question, which was different to this years book 3 tma question.

Do you remember all of the tma questions from a222 october 2017 to june 2017.

I would be really keen to know, i could put that info into my matrix to see the relationship between tma and exam questions... that would help my revision program greatly.

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Michael Gumbrell

Tma 3

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Tma 3 asks us to consider the ends justify the means in relation to consequentialism..

I am tempted to use the trolley thought experiment to answer the tma question.

Or would that be to simplistic?


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Michael Gumbrell

Book 3 away

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So i have completed book 3, ethics.

Now i just have to return to chapter 2 and write the tma 3.

Hopefully i can write something in the 65-70% range.

One step closer to home...

#bloodya222.

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Michael Gumbrell

Tma 2 mark.

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So i just got my mark back. I got 63 for tma 2. I got 68 for tma 1. So i am averaging 65 ocas at the moment.

65 is a 2.2 which is my lowest module score so far.

But that's okay. I do not like philosophy and nor would it appear that philosophy approves of me... 

#bloodya222

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Michael Gumbrell

Block 3 and the christmas break

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Having had a look at the block 3 tma question, i am going to have to work through the christmas break.

The tma question is very long. More like a four part question.

That is a big question to answer so it will require alot of work...hence no christmas break for me.

I got 68 for my first tms, i am waiting for the mark for tma2.

I think it will not be as good as 68.

So i need to put the work into tma3 to try and keep my ocas in the 2.2 range for this module.

A222 has 6 tma's and no substitutions, so a good ocas will be hard to achieve.

Lets hope that it does not go from 68 and then downwards.

#bloodya222.

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Michael Gumbrell

Tma 2

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So i finished and submitted tma 2 last night.

1750 words.

Now to wait for the closing date- thursdsy 7th and then for it to be marked.

Still not enjoying a222

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Michael Gumbrell

Tma 2

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I am supposed to be discussing humes ( philo's) objections to the arguement from design, as presented by cleanthes.

Is hume (philo's) objection compelling.

Philo leaves his objections aside until subconclusion 1 of cleanthes arguement.

I think philo could have raised objections earlier on, objections to premise one and two, but philo does not.

Now can i include in the tma analysis of philo's objections the fact that he did not step in earlier to object, based on philosophical reasoning...

Or can i only write about the quality of philo's actual stated arguements?

By not stepping in earlier, philo allows cleantges to develope another premise, sub conclusion and conclusion that are based on unchallenged premise one and two.

I am very mindful now if Simon Reeds advice in comments on another of my posts.

' we are not here in a222 to do any of our own philosophy, just to show we can construct a philosophical arguement correctly, and stick to the module materials'

Without wise words from Simon, i might have wasted 800 words of tma2 and got a poor mark.

I will mention my thoughts about philo letting premise one and two too easily, very briefly, as a further example of what might have made philo's objections truely compelling. However 1000 words need to be invested on what philo does say...


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Michael Gumbrell

TMA2

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I had another check through the guidance notes for tma2.

It is very clear. The tma is utterly about chapter 2. Nothing from the other chapters need to be in there.

So a very closed tma question.

Perhaps it is to make us reallt drill down onto how we write a philosophicaly logical essays.

We will see, i sure i will be on this blog bemoaning tma2 some more.

Permalink 3 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Monday, 20 Nov 2017, 17:16)
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Michael Gumbrell

TMA 2

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So this block 2 is slightly odd, there are 4 weeks of study around the philosophy of religion. However the TMA question is very specific, it is concretely locked into weeks 2's study. So I have finished week 3 and have week 4 to do, however I have done the week that is very specifically linked to the TMA, nothing from week 3 or 4 will get into it. 

so I made a start on writing the TMA today, I have done the introduction and the unpack. so I have written the first 400 words of the 2000 word TMA with 2 weeks to spare.

That is a bit of an odd structure, previously TMA's had a focus on a particular week, however following weeks would influence what you wrote in the TMA.

With block 2 TMA that is not the case, Chapter two is king and it would harm the TMA to mention anything from week 3 or 4. Very odd. I have never had that situation before.


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Michael Gumbrell

Feedback

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So i had a look at my feedback. There was alot of it!

Not entirely sure now if the 68 mark was just a kindness because it was the first essay of the module.

68 might be the peak for this module, unless i really get a grip on philosophy tma's.

We will see.

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Michael Gumbrell

tma 1

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So i got my mark back for a222 tma1.

68% thats my second lowest mark in four modules of essays.

Not that disappointed. Seems like a fair mark considering how much i struggled with the essay.

I will look at my feedback tomorrow.

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Michael Gumbrell

TMA Done

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Edited by Michael Gumbrell, Wednesday, 1 Nov 2017, 12:28

Well my first TMA is done and submitted.

1944 words out of a possible 2000 word count, so I am happy that I have fallen in the word count range (1500-2000). I am towards the high end of the word count, so perhaps I waffled a bit?

Well its done now, It was very hard.

Now to wait and see what the mark is, I am expecting nothing over 65%, from my tutorial I do not think we get any lee way with it being the first TMA, we seem to be expected to hit the ground running, no warm up.

Lets wait and see...

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Michael Gumbrell

TMA

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Well i have witten the first half of the TMA.

1000 words so far.

I have no idea if the words are any good.

This module has been very frustrating so far.

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Michael Gumbrell

Tele transporter

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This tma is hard, and it is only the first one!

It is no solace to find out that so many of my cohorts (facebook group) are also struggling with it.

Welcome to a222 philosophy!

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Michael Gumbrell

tma1

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Well all the reading and activities are done,

all I have to do now, and have 4 days in which to do it, is write the TMA....

Pity I do not have a single clue what I am going to write....

HELP....

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