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

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 main purposes: education to philosophical writing and editorial conventions; introduction to the use of bibliographic resources; introduction to how to read a philosophical classic and how to produce a short philosophical essay about it.

The success of workshops ideally 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 First Cycle Degree/Bachelor in Philosophy (corsi.unibo.it/1cycle/Philosophy). Up to 40 students may attend each laboratory. Classes will be given in Italian or in English, as indicated by each teacher on their laboratory web pages.

To enrol in the I or II semester Workshops, students must apply directly to the chosen teacher, by e-mail (please indicate as subject: Philosophy Workshop). Applications will be open from 1 to 15 September 2022. 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.

Attendance — both face-to-face and online, if streaming is activated — will be verified by signature on sign-in sheets or by log-in online. 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.

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.

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. During the laboratory, teachers will provide instructions on how to write the final essay, and all students are requested to download and study the manual of philosophical writing, which can be found at corsi.unibo.it/laurea/Filosofia/laboratorio-di-filosofia-norme-per-la-redazione-del-saggio-finale (in Italian).

 

Title of the Laboratory (G.L.), Francesco Mazzucchelli.

STRUCTURALISM IN THE SEMIOTIC THEORY OF UMBERTO ECO

In 1968, Umberto Eco publishes La Struttura Assente (The Absent Structure), a first attempt (after Opera Aperta and Apocalittici and Integrati) to systemise a semiotic theory inspired by a structural epistemology.

Although Eco himself will later self-criticize this book, it represents a milestone to understand the evolution of semiotics and the intellectual debate about structural models that in that period characterised humanities and social sciences.

This laboratory will propose a critical reading of this text (with a particular reference to section D, dedicated to the epistemology of structuralism), in relation to the larger context of the discussions of those years in the field of structuralism and post-structuralism.

Readings/Bibliography

Mandatory readings:

Umberto Eco (1968) La struttura assente. La ricerca semiotica e il metodo strutturale, Milano, Bompiani (nuova edizione disponibile per La Nave di Teseo).

Optional readings will be suggested during the lessons.

Teaching methods

• Frontal lessons by the teacher and other experts.
• Class discussions with the students, guided by the teacher.
• Short talks and presentations by the students on the topic of the Laboratory.

The Laboratory is structured in two connected parts:

• one part will focus on the basic principles of academic writing (planning and structuring a paper, conducting a bibliographic research, applying editorial stylesheets, etc.)
• one part will be dedicated to the main topic of this laboratory: structuralism in the semiotic theory of Umberto Eco

Each week (except the last one), a lesson will be devoted to the writing laboratory. The other lessons will be devoted to the critical reading and comment of Eco's text. 

During last week, presentations by the students about the topic discussed during class will be welcomed. These presentations in front of the class are not mandatory and will be considered as pre-paper in view of the final paper that has to be submitted to the teacher at least ten days before the exam).

Assessment methods

In order to pass the exam, the student is requested to write a short essay (of about 15.000 characters) on one of the topics discussed in the Laboratory.

The essay/paper, to be handed to the teacher via email 10 days before the day of the exam at the latest, will be discussed with the teacher.

It will be possible to present a pre-paper in front of the class during the last week of the laboratory.

Teaching tools

Slides and connected video-projector.

Other audio-visual materials.

All the materials will be made available on the platform 'Virtuale' (students are invited to check the page on Virtuale dedicated to this Lab for updates and other relevant information).

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Mazzucchelli