29424 - Seminars (1) (LM) (G. B)

Learning outcomes

The Philosophy Seminars aim to achieve the specific educational objectives of seminar-based teaching: (1) to train students in philosophical argumentation by encouraging discussions on topics and texts—also in their original language—presented during meetings with Italian and international scholars; (2) to broaden and deepen philosophical knowledge through participation in lectures given by specialists in various areas of philosophical inquiry; (3) to compare different methodological approaches to philosophy as a complement to curricular teaching.

Course contents

Philosophies at the End of the Century

The seminar will take place during the third term (second semester) and will revolve around collective presentations and discussions of philosophical essays published in the last two decades of the 20th century, ideally connected by their reference to the themes of the end of history and postmodernism.

In the first part of the course (approximately 5–6 sessions), some of the main themes at the center of the texts listed in the bibliography will be presented and discussed, also with the participation of guest speakers.

At the end of this first part, texts will be assigned to students for examination and presentation during the following sessions (second part of the course), according to a schedule to be agreed upon collectively.

In the second part of the course (9–10 sessions), the critical presentation of the texts listed in the bibliography will be entrusted to the students participating in the seminar. Each presentation will be followed by a classroom discussion.

The main objectives of the seminar work are, on the one hand, to assess each participant’s ability to provide relevant syntheses of complex texts and, on the other, to ensure that the entire group actively engages in interpretation and critical discussion.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Perry Anderson, Considerations on Western Marxism,
New Left Books, London 1976;

2. Jean-Francois Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (1979), University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis 1984;

3. Peter Sloterdijk, Critique of Cynical Reason (1983), University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis 1987;

4. Weak Thought (1983), edited by Gianni Vattimo and Pier Aldo Rovatti, State University of New York Press, Albany (NY) 2012;

5. Jürgen Habermas, The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity: Twelve Lectures, MIT Press, Cambridge MA 1987;

6. G. Vattimo, The End of Modernity: Nihilism and Hermeneutics in Postmodern Culture (1985), Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1991;

7. Donna J. Haraway, A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century (1985), Routledge, New York 1991;

8. David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change, Blackwell, Oxford 1989;

9. Judith Butler, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, Routledge, New York 1990;

10. Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and Ambivalence, Polity Press, Cambridge 1991; 

11. Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina 1991;

12. Edward W. Said, Culture and Imperialism, Chatto & Windus, London 1993; 

13. Homi K. Bhabha, The Location of Culture, Routledge, London, 1994;

14. Giorgio Agamben, Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life (1995), Stanford University Press, Stanford 1998.

Teaching methods

After 5–6 introductory lectures, during which external guests will also participate, the second part of the course will be dedicated to student presentations. Students will be responsible for presenting the texts listed in the bibliography and initiating the classroom discussion.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Assessment methods

Attendance will be assessed based on the quality of individual and group contributions throughout the course. Participation in the seminar is mandatory. A maximum of two absences is allowed. Students who wish to attend the seminar are kindly asked to register by sending an email to the instructor.

Teaching tools

Texts and materials related to the topics covered during the seminar sessions will be published on the seminar’s Virtuale page.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Cerrato