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

Learning outcomes

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

Course contents

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, students will need to have attended at least 12 out of 15 classes (24 hours out of 30).

Students can choose from 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 laboratory. “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 exams 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 relevant 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 text discussed in the Workshop attended. The essay will be evaluated both for form and for content.

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Philosophy Laboratory (1) (G.F) will focus on Benjamin on Baudelaire: The crisis of experience.

Readings/Bibliography

W. Benjamin, Su alcuni motivi in Baudelaire, in Id., Aura e choc, Einaudi, Torino, 2021, pp. 163-202 (or any other edition).

Other references will be given during the activity.

Teaching methods

Please note that, as per current Unibo lines of conduct, all classes will be face-to-face. However, further information about this will be provided in due course, according to how the pandemic situation develops.

The language of this activity is Italian. Exchange students who are not fluent in Italian can contact me for further explanations in English, but I won't be able to offer extensive individual tutoring.

Class will be in the following days (all 2021):

23, 24 September,

7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 28 October,

18, 25, 26 November,

2, 3, 9, 10 December.

The Laboratory is divided into the following three sections:

- illustration of the rules of philosophical writing and argumentative analysis (recognize and assess arguments, identify fallacies, etc.).

- introduction to the main issues discussed by Benjamin in Su alcuni motivi in Baudelaire [On Some Motifs in Baudelaire].

- student presentations.

Please refer to the Italian section for a detailed calendar of classes.

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed by means of

- class exercises and individual presentations (individually or in coordinated groups).

- 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 paper must deal with one of the topics discussed in class and it must be linguistically and stylistically correct.

Teaching tools

Further readings will be provided via IOL.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Matteucci