Academic Year 2019/2020

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Philosophy (cod. 9216)

Learning outcomes

The philosophy Seminars propose general objectives, which are those specific teaching seminar: (1) to train the students to philosophical discussion urging participation in conferences and presentations of Italian and foreign scholars; (2) deepen the topics of the courses through participation in philosophical lectures by specialists also of other universities; (3) broaden their thematic and methodological horizons to complete offered teaching.

Course contents

"Rhizome, how to do it". Ecological profiles of contemporary rationality

Main aim: to carry out an ecological analysis of modern reason and its modalities

Secondary aims: to conjugate didactic and research-related needs; to provide with bibliographical references dealing with ecological topics; to create a space for students and researchers to interact.

As it was the case with previous cycles, this year's lectures will start from a concept contained in "A thousand plateaus". The name of the cycle witnesses to an ambiguous aspect that will be dealt with during the lectures. Rhizome shall work as a new analogy through which conceptualizing anew the relation between knowing subject and the world, understood as the space of objects of knowledge. This analogy should present an alternative to iso-morphism between language and reality, leading therefore to interesting remarks on the classical dichotomy "top-down"/"bottom-up". As it should be clear by the end of the lectures, rhizome thus competes with the official image of knowledge in Modernity: arbor scientiarum, the tree of knowledge.

The lectures' aim will be to examine an alternative modelling to verticality, which is already classic to modern rationality. Naturally, the whole research will explore laterally through the otherness of contemporary rationality, by means of a methodology akin to philosophical ecology.

This year, as usual, besides some basic concepts at the outset, the cycle will pursue an active experimental approach to such a methodology. It will host lectures by both professors (not only from this athenaeum, in order to widen the perspectives) providing with general introductions to main topics and young researchers dealing with topics related to the cycle's main theoretical concerns.

Thus, students from the three-year degree will have the opportunity to get in touch with contemporary philosophical debates, by actually interacting with knowledgeable subjects; this could prove crucial in choosing a line of interest for the Master's degree. Plus, they will witness what research actually is about, facing mostly young researchers whose carreer is still in progress.

Two-hour lectures will consist in: one hour for the lecture per se, one hour for the discussion in which students are invited to take an active role. A bibliography will be provided before the cycle begins, at the organizers' blog ubiminorblog.wordpress.com, in which material from previous cycles is also available. Before each lecture, an abstract will help the students getting acquainted with the discussion and the cycle's progress. Finally, a mailing list will help in accomplishing these updates in a timely fashion, handing out slides, recordings, additional references.

Readings/Bibliography

G. De Fazio, P.F. Lévano, (cur), "Ecosofia. Percorsi contemporanei nel pensiero ecologico", Mucchi, Modena, 2017. G. De Fazio, P.F Lévano, I. Sorrentino, Prontuario di ecosofia. Bibliografie metastabili. Venturaedizioni, Senigallia, in pubblicazione. M. Iofrida, (cur), "Emergenza ecologica, alienazione, lavoro", Mucchi, Modena, 2016.M. Ciardi, "Terra. Storia di un'idea", Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2013.F. Marsciani, "Tracciati di Etnosemiotica", F.Angeli, Milano, 2014 (II ed.).
M. Lagna, P.F. Lévano, "Contro l'isomorfismo. Il rapporto soggetto-oggetto secondo Enzo Melandri", in: Philosophy Kitchen, IV-6, 2017, pp. 104-116.
G. De Fazio, "Etica delle composizioni. Sul divenire-donna e le linee di fuga della corporeità" in: LaDeleuziana, 2, 2015, pp. 50-62.

Teaching methods

Following the format of past editions (2016/17 and 2017/18), the lectures will aim at providing the students with a set of basic notions, encouraging them to participate in the discussion about a possible methodology that philosophical ecology may adopt. Alongside professors and researchers, tasked with introducing the main topics to the students, lectures will also be delivered by young researchers and also students that have dealt with these topics recently.

This way, undergraduate students gain acquaintance with new trends in the history of contemporary philosophy thanks to the diversity of insights given at each lecture, which ideally are helpful in case they are interested in continuing in this field of studies; furthermore, they will be able to get in touch with younger researchers and obtain first-hand knowledge about research in philosophy, finding himself in between young philosophers and their earliest results.

Two-hour lectures will consist thus: one hour of exposition and one hour of debate with an active participation by the students, who will be able to raise questions and propose brief presentations to be held at an open-mic meeting. Information about the series is available in English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese, by e-mail or by directly getting in touch with the organizers.

Assessment methods

An eligibility is obtained by attending the seminars.

Teaching tools

See teaching methods.

Office hours

See the website of Manlio Iofrida