Easily one of the worst units I have done especially in philosophy. They have changed the structure of this unit since these reviews have been written. Now 40% of your grade comes from participation. That coming from workshops and in lecture assessments. The lecturer lacks any leniency and is nearly unapproachable. Don't expect to get any kind of special consideration regardless of how small the ask is. The topics themselves are not so much about the moral and philosophical issues of science but the formal structure and theories regarding science. They are also very dry, overall really would not recommend unless you really like formal argument and participation in all areas.

Despite not taking any philosophy courses prior to this unit, I really enjoyed it. Once you get beyond the initial language barrier and understand the philosophy jargon, the tutorial discussions become really interesting. In the tutorials, no one is made to feel as though their opinions aren't valid, and Chris does an excellent job at extending your thoughts and making you think about everything a little deeper. The readings are mostly interesting, the 10% participation only requires you to attend the tutorial and prepare a page of notes. The other 90% comes from a major (55%) and minor (35%) essay, which are pretty straightforward as long as you get on top of them early. The minor essay gives a good indication of where your philosophical writing is at, especially as someone who hadn't written a philosophy paper before, and ample time and resources are allowed for preparation of the major essay. I can't speak for Chris's lecturing style as I had clashes with my core units, but the slides are easy to understand and often helped me understand some of the more difficult concepts in the weekly readings. I highly recommend this unit, especially scientists wanting to gain a deeper insight into their field.

Great unit and a good learning experience especially with writing as you have 2 essays worth 90% combined. Chris is a great guy and a pleasure to work with.