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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PH 350"
COURSE NAME: "Debates in Contemporary Philosophy"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2015
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Brunella Antomarini
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: Junior Standing. Corequisite: EN 110
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course exposes students to a wide range of philosophical currents in a variety of contemporary areas of study, such as: cognitive science, social science, philosophy of history, philosophy of language, and epistemology. Each field will be examined by tracing it back to its historical sources.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Classes will consist of

1. Introductory lectures about parts of the following books:

 

J. L.Austin, How to do things with words, 1975.

L. Bryant, The Democracy of Objects, 2011.

J. Baudrillard: The Gulf war did not occur, 2001.

G. Deleuze, F. Guattari, A Thousand Planes, 1995.

M. Donald, Origins of the Modern Mind, 1991.

M. Foucault, Power/Knowledge, 1980.

D. Haraway, Simians, Cyborgs and Women, 1991.

P. Feyerabend, Against Method, 1978.

Kurzweil, The Age of Spiritual Machines, 2000.

N. Luhmann, The Reality of the Mass Media, 2000.

L. Margulis, What is Life?, 2000.

Q. Meillassoux, After Finitude: An Essay on the Necessity of Contingency, 2008.

L. Smolin, The Life of the Cosmos, 1998.

L. Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, (1986).

    

2. Seminars on analysed topics.

 

3. Analysis of film: The 25th Hour, by Spike Lee, 2002.

 

 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the semester, students will have a general information about ongoing arguments in philosophica environments, both in Europe and the United States. They will be able to master philosophical argumentative discussions about current issues concerning knowledge, science, language, politics, ethics.

 
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Mid-term exam- Mid-term exam (25% of the final grade) - Final exam (40% of the final grade) - In-class presentation + 2 papers at home, attendance and participation (35% of the final grade) 25%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Sep 1

Intro: blurring distinctions - Inda-Rosaldo

3

Foucault

8

Reading Foucault

10

Baudrillard

15

Reading Baudrillard

17

Deleuze-Guattari

22

Reading Deleuze-Guattari

24

Merlin Donald

25

Luigi Russo

29

Luhmann

Oct 1

Reading Luhmann

6

Varela-Maturana

8

Reading Varela

13

Seminar

15

MID-TERM EXAM

20

Film

22

comment

27

Haraway

29

Margulis

Nov 3

De Latil

5

Reading De Latil

10

Kurzweil

12

Reading Kurzweil

17

Seminar

19

Meillassoux

24

Reading Meillassoux

Dec1

Pearson

3

Seminar

5-11

FINAL EXAMINATION