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

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 goals: an introduction to the rules of writing and composition; an introduction to using bibliographic tools; an introduction to how to read a philosophy 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 enroll in the I or II semester Workshops, students must send, by e-mail, the 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 program 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 on line 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.

Philosophy Laboratory (1) (G.B): Husserl, Cartesian Meditations

The laboratory will examine Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology, through the reading and discussion of the “Cartesian Meditations”. Among the topics covered are: Descartes and the cogito; intentionality and constitution; phenomenological epoché; transcendental idealism; intersubjectivity and the alter ego.

The first lessons will be dedicated to the rules of writing and composition of a philosophical essay and the bibliographical tools, while in the following lessons the reading of the “Cartesian Meditations” will be addressed.

Course timetable: 2nd period: Tuesday 15-17 (Lecture room C, via Zamboni 34), Wednesday 15-17 (Lecture room C, via Zamboni 34); Thursday 15-17 (Lecture room D, via Zamboni 34)

Course start date: November 9, 2021

Readings/Bibliography

E. Husserl, Cartesian Meditations. An Introduction to Phenomenology, Springer, Dordrecht 1973 (selected pages).

G. Ferretti, Soggettività e intersoggettività. Le “Meditazioni cartesiane” di Husserl, Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino 1997.

V. Costa, Husserl, Carocci, Roma 2009 (optional).

The slides used in the lessons will be available in the online material.

Teaching methods

The laboratory has a seminar character. After a presentation of the fundamental topics of Husserl’s thought, we will proceed to reading, commenting and discussing some parts of the “Cartesian Meditations”. Students can submit individual or group presentations on specific themes of the book.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist of a presentation and discussion of a short essay regarding topics and issues dealing with the texts analyzed during the laboratory. The work will be evaluated as follows:

1. in terms of content;

2. in terms of the conceptual tools employed;

3. in terms of argumentative and writing skills.

The essay, between 12,000 and 15,000 characters long (spaces, notes, and bibliography included), must be submitted at least two weeks before the date of the oral exam chosen by the student. The student must send her/his paper by email, in pdf format, to the teacher's address.

Assessment criteria:

Passed: The educational objectives have been achieved.

Not passed: The educational objectives have not been achieved.

The work of the laboratory presupposes the constant presence of students: in order to take the final exam, students must be present at least 24 hours out of 30.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint slides

Office hours

See the website of Sebastiano Galanti Grollo