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 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.

You can sign up for a laboratory by logging in to Studenti On Line (studenti.unibo.it/sol/welcome.htm), clicking on "Prenotazioni", and then selecting the laboratory you are interested in. You can sign up beginning 1 September 2023, but you will no longer be able to enrol once the third meeting is over. It is possible to sign up for no more than one laboratory at a time. A maximum of 40 participants will be enrolled in each laboratory.

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 deplorable 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. These students shall inform the teacher at the beginning of the module and provide a declaration of their employers stating their inability to attend.

- students who are participating in exchange programmes (Erasmus, Overseas, etc.). These students shall 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).

Philosophy Laboratory (1) (G.C)

This Workshop will be about truth, knowledge, values, and relativism, the themes of Timothy Williamson's Tetralogue: I'm Right, You're Wrong.

Timothy Williamson (b. 1955) is the Wikeham Professor of Logic at the University of Oxford and one of the most influential living philosophers. His contribution to professional philosophy has ranged across logic, metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of language, but Tetralogue is a philosophical dialogue that addresses some key philosophical themes without presupposing any prior acquaintance with philosophy.

 

Please note that classes will be exclusively in-person.

Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory reading:

Williamson T., Io ho ragione e tu hai torto, trad. it. di D. Marconi, il Mulino, Bologna 2016 [the English edition can be freely downloaded from AlmaRE].

Teaching methods

After a few introductory classes 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 Williamson's book. The teacher will introduce its main themes and arguments. Then participants will work in small groups on different aspects of the text and will present them for general discussion.

Classes will be held in the first semester, initially on a weekly and then on a biweekly basis.

Only the introductory classes will be recorded and made available for download on Virtuale. Access is restricted to students enrolled in the workshop.

Please note that classes will be exclusively in-person.

Classes start on Wednesday 20 September.

 

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.

 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders have the right to special accommodations according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the teacher but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adaptations. For more information, visit the page:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

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.

Only the introductory classes will be recorded and made available for download on Virtuale. Access is restricted to students enrolled in the workshop.

Office hours

See the website of Giorgio Volpe