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

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.

 

Course Contents

The Neuroethics Laboratory aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the concept of morality. Following the typical approach of Cognitive Sciences, the course explores the concept of morality, starting from classic studies in moral philosophy and extending to a psychological and neuroscientific perspective. Additionally, the course will be dedicated to studying human morality in relation to the increasing development of artificial intelligence systems.

Readings/Bibliography

Lucifora, C., & Vicario, C.M. (2023). Il cervello morale. Dalle Scienze Cognitive all'Intelligenza Artificiale. Franco Angeli Editore.

Teaching methods

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.

Further instructions on how to enrol in laboratories will be issued in due course. Please refer to the Laurea in Filosofia website for updates.

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.

Assessment methods

The final assessment will consist of a course paper (max 10 pages) on one of the topics covered during the Neuroethics Laboratory, which will be discussed during the examination session.

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).

 

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Lucifora