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

Learning outcomes

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

Course contents

General information

This course introduces students to the use of computational tools for the critical analysis of philosophical and interdisciplinary texts, including research and publication evaluation platforms, knowledge bases, and artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

At the end of this course, students will be able to use "augmented critical reading" tools to analyze and discuss philosophical and interdisciplinary texts, and create new ones.

Attendance requirement

Regular attendance is an essential requirement of this course. Accordingly, students must attend at least 12 out of the 15 sessions (24 out of 30 contact hours) in order to submit the final essay and obtain a pass.

The Bachelor's Degree Programme in Philosophy offers several "Laboratorio di Filosofia" (Philosophy Workshop) modules from which students may choose (descriptions and instructors are available on the Degree Programme website). The course is limited to a maximum of 40 participants.

Registration for the Workshops takes place through Studenti On Line by logging in with one's University credentials, selecting the "Bookings" icon, and choosing the desired Workshop. Registration for all Workshops will open on 1 September 2026 and will automatically close after the first three sessions have taken place. Students may register for only one Workshop at a time. Each course will accept a maximum of 40 registrations.

Attendance will be recorded by means of a signed attendance sheet. Since there have unfortunately been cases of forged attendance signatures in previous years, students are advised that, if it is established that even a single attendance signature was not personally entered by the student concerned, the student in question will be excluded from the Workshop assessment for the current academic year. They will therefore have to wait until the following academic year before they may attend the Philosophy Workshop again. The same sanction will apply to students who submit exercises plagiarised, in whole or in part, from third parties. Please refer to the plagiarism regulations published on the Degree Programme website.

An alternative programme may be arranged individually with the Workshop professor only in duly justified cases where attendance is impossible. Such cases are limited to the following:

• Working students who are unable to obtain study leave to attend the Workshop. Students in this situation must inform the instructor at the beginning of the module and provide a statement from their employer certifying that they are unable to attend.
• Students participating in an Erasmus or Overseas exchange programme. Students in this situation must promptly provide the instructor with documentation showing that they are unable to attend because they are studying abroad.

Readings/Bibliography

Slides to be distributed during the course (search, knowledge bases, generative AI).

Hackler, R., and Kirsten, G. (2016) Distant reading, computational criticism, and social critique: An interview with Franco Moretti.
https://www.genealogy-critique.net/article/id/7042/

Teaching methods

The workshops will be conducted exclusively in person (in Italian) and will not be recorded.

The course will consist of 2-hour sessions combining lectures and practical exercises.

Sessions will be held during the second teaching period of the second semester (April–May 2027). Any changes to the timetable will be communicated by the instructor and announced on the Virtuale learning platform.

Assessment methods

AI can be a useful tool to support individual learning through additional explanations, summaries, and self-assessment activities.

With regard to the achievement of the learning outcomes, the assessment comprises a component requiring the substantial use of AI (e.g., problem solving and content generation) and a compulsory component devoted to critical analysis.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or SLD are entitled to special accommodations according to their condition, following evaluation by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the course coordinator directly, but get in touch with the Service to schedule an appointment. The Service will determine which accommodations - if any - are appropriate.

More information available at:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti

Teaching tools

Online and desktop apps with AI capabilities will be regularly used during the course.

Office hours

See the website of Massimiliano Garagnani