30413 - Philosophy Laboratory (1) (G.C)

Learning outcomes

The student learns to read and critically analyze philosophical texts and to write a philosophical essay.

Course contents

General Information

The Philosophy Workshop has three goals: an introduction to the rules of writing and composition; an introduction to using bibliographic tools; an introduction to how to read a philosophical classic and how to produce a short philosophical essay about it.

The success of workshops requires regular attendance of all students at all meetings. In order to be admitted to the final exam and achieve a pass, therefore, students will need to have attended at least 12 out of 15 classes (24 hours out of 30).

Students can choose among several proposals of Philosophy Workshops (programmes and teachers' names are available on the website of the Degree Course in Philosophy). Up to 40 students may attend each workshop. “Attending” means both those attending face-to-face lectures and those attending online lectures.

To enrol in the I or II semester Workshops, students must send, by e-mail, an application to the chosen teacher (subject: Philosophy Workshop) between 1 and 15 September, 2021. Each teacher will accept up to 40 requests. Excess requests and those submitted after 15 September will be redistributed based on the availability of vacancies.

In the light of several unpleasant episodes of signature falsification in recent years, in the event that it is proved that even a single signature has not been made by the corresponding student, that student will be excluded from the final exam and will have to wait until the next year to attend the Workshop again. The same standards will hold for students submitting written papers which are totally or partially copied from published sources or digital texts. In the case of online attendance, the “participants” present at the lectures on Teams will be counted.

Only in the event of certified inability to attend the Workshop are students allowed to arrange an alternative programme with the teacher of the module in question. Such cases include:

- working students who cannot obtain specific permission to attend the Workshop. Such students must inform the teacher at the beginning of the module and prove by a declaration of their employers their inability to attend.

- Erasmus and Overseas students. Such students must promptly provide documentary evidence to the teacher showing their inability to attend on grounds of residence abroad.

Attending and non-attending students must acquire as soon as possible the manual of philosophical writing, which can be found online on the website of the Degree Course in Philosophy.

For attending students assessment will consist in the submission and discussion of a short essay on the philosophical texts discussed in the Workshop attended. The essay will be evaluated both for form and for content.

Philosophy Laboratory (1) (G.C)

This Workshop will focus on modality, especially on the metaphysical questions raised by possible worlds semantics for modal discourse. Some recent classics will be discussed, with the aim to introduce the students to one of the main topics of contemporary analytic metaphysics.

Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory reading:

A.C. Varzi (ed.), Metafisica. Classici contemporanei, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2008, pp. 243-325 (texts by Quine, Kripke, Lewis, Stalnaker e Armstrong).

 

Suggested reading:

A. Borghini, Che cos'è la possibilità, Carocci, Roma 2009.

M. Carrara, C. De Florio, G. Lando, V. Morato, Introduzione alla metafisica contemporanea, il Mulino, Bologna 2021, chap. VIII ("Modalità").

Teaching methods

After a few introductory lectures on the rules of philosophical writing and composition and on the main bibliographical tools for philosophical research, the focus will shift to the analysis and discussion of some classical texts by Quine, Kripke, Lewis, Stalnaker, and Armstrong. The teacher will put them in their historical context and introduce their main argumentative moves. Then participants will work in small groups on different aspects of the texts and will present them for general discussion

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed by means of a final written paper (min 12,000 characters, max 15,000 characters, references excluded) to be handed in by e-mail at least 15 days before the exam date.

The exam is meant to assess the achievement of the expected learning outcomes, in particular the acquisition of critical abilities and writing skills. Essays will be assessed on a range of factors, including how well the argument is sustained and use of philosophical written language.

The exam will be passed if the written essay is linguistically and formally correct and displays mastery of philosophical argumentation.

The exam will not be passed if the written essay is linguistially or stilistically flawed and/or does not display mastery of philosophical argumentation.

Teaching tools

The teacher may share with students short bibliographical notes and synopses of the texts to be discussed. The material will be made available for download on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Giorgio Volpe