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

Learning outcomes

The student learns to read and critically analyze philosophical texts and to write a philosophical essay.

Course contents

The philosophy workshop has three main objectives: to teach writing and argumentation skills, as well as the editorial conventions used in the scientific community; to introduce students to the use of bibliographic tools; and to introduce students to reading philosophical texts and writing a short essay on them.
The workshop requires regular attendance at meetings; consequently, in order to submit the final essay and obtain a pass mark, students must attend at least 12 out of 15 lessons (equivalent to 24 out of 30 contact hours).
The Philosophy degree programme offers a choice of several workshops (programmes and teachers are available on the Philosophy degree programme webpage). Each workshop has a maximum of 40 participants. “Participant” means anyone who attends the meetings in person or online, if this option is activated by the teacher.
To enrol in the workshops, students must log in to Studenti On Line (studenti.unibo.it/sol/welcome.htm) with their credentials, click on the “Prenotazioni” icon and select the workshop they are interested in. Registration will be open for all workshops from 1 September 2025 and will close automatically for each workshop after the first 3 meetings have been held. It will only be possible to register for one workshop at a time. Each list will accept a maximum of 40 registrations. Attendance at the laboratory will be verified by signature (or via the online platform in the case of distance learning lessons). Given that there have been unfortunate cases of forged attendance signatures in recent years, please note that if even a single attendance signature is found not to have been signed in person, the student will be excluded from the aptitude test for the current academic year. The student will therefore have to wait until the following academic year to attend the Philosophy Laboratory again. A similar measure will be taken against anyone who submits exercises copied in whole or in part from other people's texts, whether printed or digital. Please refer to the rules on plagiarism published on the degree program website.

Only in cases of justified inability to attend will a substitute program be provided, to be agreed upon individually with the professors responsible for the various modules. Such cases are limited to the following:
- people who work and cannot obtain a study permit to attend the Laboratory; those in this situation must notify the professor at the beginning of the module, documenting their inability to attend with a statement from their employer;
- people who are on Erasmus or overseas; those in this situation must promptly document to the teacher their inability to attend due to their stay abroad. During the workshop, specific instructions on writing will be provided, but participants should consult this guide to citing sources:

https://sba.unibo.it/it/servizi/formazione/guida-alla-citazione-delle-fonti-bibliografiche


Workshop title:

Arguing and debating.
Introduction to rhetorical practice.

The workshop aims to offer methods and tools for arguing and presenting philosophical ideas orally and in writing. Based on the medieval tradition of Disputationes quodlibetales, students will be introduced to the art of arguing and defending antinomic philosophical theses. Using dissertational techniques, the workshop aims to integrate theatrical practice to make rhetoric more effective (speech management, voice control, body language, stage presence...), which are fundamental elements for effectively supporting dialogue and philosophical debate.

Exercises (oral and written) will be conducted with antagonistic performances on classical and contemporary philosophical issues.

Readings/Bibliography

Eco U., Come si fa una tesi di laurea, La Nave di Teseo, Milano, 2017 (1977).

La scrittura di testi filosofici. Indicazioni per la redazione dei saggi e delle tesi di laurea, Università di Bologna, Corso di laurea in Filosofia, a.a. 2023/24 (pdf).

Teaching methods

The workshop will use methods drawn from traditional rhetoric and theatre techniques, involving not only the actual argumentation but also body language (stage presence, voice, gestures, etc.).

Assessment methods

The following will be assessed for "idoneità": 1) active participation in the workshop; 2) drafting of the final text.

Office hours

See the website of Lorenzo Vinciguerra