78000 - Moral Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

This course will address topics and texts in moral philosophy at an advanced level. At the end of the course students will be expected to possess the main abilities required from a professional moral philosopher. These include: appraise theories and justify one's own position about them; critically analyzing philosophical texts, both from classical and recent authors; originally elaborate on them; provide fresh points of view and good working hypotheses to address them. Students will have learnt how to pull apart received knowledge in the ethical and meta-ethical field, and to reconstruct it on an original basis. Moreover, they will be expected to show their ability both to write on moral topics in a professional, opinionated, and thorough way, and to effectively communicate their views to an audience.

Course contents

BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE: J.M. COETZEE’S FICTION

The course intends to explore the philosophical significance of novelist and essayist John Maxwell Coetzee’s oeuvre, especially in connection with his ethical stance on the treatment of animals. This will give us the opportunity to discuss, more generally, his critical attitude toward philosophical argument and toward reason as an exclusive tool for moral guidance and intelligent experience of our environment.

After introducing, in broad outline, Coetzee’s personality and published work, we will devote a few lessons to the philosophical subfield of animal ethics. The main philosophical approaches will be outlined. Once equipped with some conceptual and historical background, we will turn to analysing some of the key texts in this connection, especially Coetzee’s 1999 “novella of ideas” The Lives of Animals, and his subsequent and related novel Elizabeth Costello. Secondary literature will be reviewed and put to use (see bibliography).

Please note that this class is part of our 2nd-cycle (graduate) programme in philosophy, hence some background in philosophy will, predictably enough, be of help in negotiating the course. However, students from certain other backgrounds, e.g. comparative literature, should not experience any major difficulties and might actually contribute some interesting insights from their disciplinary standpoint. A preliminary acquaintance with Coetzee’s whole literary work is not expected, although it would of course help if students read at least the following novels in advance (besides The Lives of Animals and Elizabeth Costello): Life and Times of Michael K (1983), Disgrace (1999), Slow Man (2005).

Readings/Bibliography

SOURCES:

• J. M. Coetzee, The Lives of Animals, edited and introduced by Amy Gutmann, with Reflections by Marjorie Garber, Peter Singer, Wendy Doniger, Barbara Smuts, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999.

• J. M. Coetzee, Elizabeth Costello, London: Secker & Warburg, 2003.

• J. M. Coetzee, The Pole and Other Stories, Melbourne: Text Publishing, 2023 (featuring the short stories “As a Woman Grows Older”, “The Old Woman and the Cats”, "The Glass Abattoir", "Hope").

Further primary sources: Life and Times of Michael K, Johannesburg: Ravan Press, 1983, repr. London: Vintage, 2004; Disgrace, London: Secker & Warburg, 1999, repr. London: Vintage, 2000; Slow Man, London: Secker & Warburg, 2005; “Meat Country”, Granta, 52, 5th December 1995 (available on the Internet).

SELECTED SECONDARY LITERATURE (at least one of the following readings is mandatory for non-attending students):

• J.C. Kannemeyer, J.M. Coetzee. A Life in Writing, Engl. transl. by Michiel Heyns, Brunswick-London: Scribe, 2012.

• David Attwell, J.M. Coetzee and the Life of Writing. Face-to-Face with Time, New York: Penguin, 2015.

• Derek Attridge, J. M. Coetzee and the Ethics of Reading: Literature in the Event, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004.

• Tim Mehigan, ed., A Companion to the Works of J. M. Coetzee, Rochester: Camden House, 2011.

• Jarad Zimbler, ed., The Cambridge Companion to J. M. Coetzee, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.

• Stephen Mulhall, The Wounded Animal: J. M. Coetzee and the Difficulty of Reality in Literature and Philosophy, Princeton: Princeton UP, 2009.

• Anton Leist, Peter Singer, eds., J. M. Coetzee and Ethics: Philosophical Perspectives on Literature, New York: Columbia UP, 2010.

Background readings:

Students with no background in philosophy, or ethics, may find it useful to refer to some introductory readings in animal ethics, such as: Bob Fischer, Animal Ethics. A Contemporary Introduction, New York: Routledge, 2021; Lori Gruen, Ethics and Animals: An Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2011; Federico Zuolo, Etica e animali, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2018.

Further material may be provided by the teacher via Virtuale (https://virtuale.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=50681).

Teaching methods

The course will mainly consist of frontal lessons, commentary on texts, and teacher-led discussions. Students' comments, reflections, and active participation are encouraged, both face-to-face and via whatever online tool will be made available by Unibo.

Since a substantial part of the lessons will dwell on texts, I recommend to have a look at the reading materials before the beginning of class. A preliminary reading of the primary sources, as indicated above, may be of help.

Lessons are scheduled to start on the 19th of September, 2023. This is the course calendar:

Tues, 19 September
Thurs, 21 September
Fri, 22 September
Tues, 26 September
Thurs, 28 September
Fri, 29 September
Tues, 10 October
Thurs, 12 October
Fri, 13 October
Tues, 17 October
Thurs, 19 October
Fri, 20 October
Tues, 24 October
Thurs, 26 October
Fri, 27 October

(all 3 to 5 pm)

Lessons will be recorded and deposited on virtuale.unibo.

Please check my "News" page and Virtuale for information and updates.

Assessment methods

Attending students (i.e. attending no less than 12 lessons) will submit a final paper of 4000 to 8000 words, which will be graded on a 30/30 scale. I shall provide a list of topics, but please feel free to devise a topic of your own, provided it centrally involves one or more of the main issues raised in the course. Argumentative papers are recommended, but students coming from other fields than philosophy may suggest different kinds of treatment (e.g. literary, historical, etc.).

Papers are due before 10th December, 2023. I can allow late deliveries provided the workload is increased accordingly: please contact me for arrangements. Typically, I might ask you to write a second paper on an assigned topic.

All papers will be written in English. Allowance will be made for the difficulties of students whose first language is not English, but I expect all students to make sure their writing is reasonably correct.

Alternatively, students can take a viva voce exam instead of the paper. The exam will be based on the bibliography as indicated in the Readings/Bibliography section. Non-attending students are required to study one of the texts listed under "Secondary Literature", besides primary sources. The viva test will consist in expounding, first, a topic of your choice among the course contents (please be prepared to speak approx. 15 min.; you may use notes and sources as you speak). Then I will ask you a few questions about the course topics.

Unlike other countries, in Italy you may take an exam without attending the course. You will be considered non-attending if you miss more than 3 classes. Non-attending students will only take the viva voce exam.

Criteria for the paper’s assessment and components of the final grade:

1. Comprehension of the examined texts (knowledge of their content, ability to gather the most relevant information and the meaning): up to 11/30.

2. Clarity, thematic pertinence, breadth and structure of the exposition (ability to convey thoughts in an exhaustive, well-ordered, and clear way, and to stick to the topic): up to 5/30.

3. Correctness of writing (spelling, syntax, punctuation, style, command of the philosophical and general vocabulary): up to 5/30.

4. Logical consistency, quality and cogency of arguments: up to 5/30.

5. Originality of ideas and personal reflection (grasping the critical points of the texts, formulating objections, developing the ideas of the texts): up to 4/30;

6. Participation in class discussions: up to 1/30.

The assessment of the viva test will be approximately along the same lines, mutatis mutandis.

Teaching tools

I will use slides, which I will make available on a weekly basis on the course-related page of the Unibo e-learning platform Virtuale (virtuale.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=50681). The webpage will also feature study topics and tools, event calendar, and will be used for teacher-students communication and the distribution of homework. Students (whether attending or not) are required to enrol on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Brigati