Teaching code

4S007314

Credits

12

Coordinator

Linda Napolitano

Language

Italian

Also offered in courses:

• History of philosophy (i) of the course Bachelor’s degree in Humanities

Moodle Seminars 0

The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning outcomes

KNOWLEDGE The course provides an overview of the main authors and schools of ancient and medieval philosophy, thus enabling students to reach an in-depth knowledge of the historical development and the concepts of two essential moments of Western thought.

ABILITIES The expected learning outcomes are: the ability to consider philosophical texts of these historical periods within a proper critical perspective, to approach them from viable hermeneutical points of view, and to autonomously assess the contents of the course in a critical way. Students will also develop the capacity to communicate philosophical contents to specialists and non-specialists alike, and the capacity to continue their studies at a higher level.

MODULE 1 The knowledge acquired by students about the main authors, schools and topics of ancient Greek thought will help them to forge a detailed view of the history of Western philosophy and its main conceptions. Students will develop the capacity to correctly put ancient philosophical texts within their historical contexts, to approach them critically and from viable hermeneutical perspectives, and to express themselves in a proper philosophical terminology suited to the context. This will also enable them to compare some specific issues or topics of ancient philosophy with present-days ones.

MODULE 2 The knowledge acquired by students about the main authors, schools and topics of medieval thought will help them to forge a detailed view of the history of Western philosophy and its main conceptions. Students will develop the capacity to correctly put medieval philosophical texts within their historical contexts, to approach them critically and from viable hermeneutical perspectives, and to express themselves in a proper philosophical terminology suited to the context. This will also enable them to compare some specific issues or topics of medieval philosophy with present-days ones.

Program

Course's content: Title: “Words and matters of the Ancient and Mediaeval Philosophy”
The I Module aims at exploring some terminological and conceptual points across the whole ancient philosophy (VI sec. B.C.- VI sec. A.C.).
The II Module will make the same for some terminological and conceptual points of Mediaeval philosophy, from St. Augustin to Occam.
For every subject: the original terms will be indicated and explained, those which contribute to form the traditional philosophical language. The proposals will be examined of the most authoritative ancient thinkers, reading some original texts translated in Italian. Their various theories will be confronted to each other and we are going to look for the influence they may have had on the subsequent philosophical thinking, particularly on the contemporary one.

Books to be studied
a) General Part: E. BERTI-F. VOLPI, Storia della filosofia: dall'antichità ad oggi, Edizione compatta, 2 voll. indivisibili, Roma-Bari 2007 (for this exam from the origins to Occam);
b) Lecture notes (at students' disposal in the photocopies shops “La rapida” and “Ateneo”)
c) Basic text: L.M. NAPOLITANO VALDITARA, Virtù, felicità e piacere nell’etica dei Greci, edizione riveduta e aggiornata, Verona aemme edizioni 2014.
d) Integrations and substitutions: student who cannot attend lessons, or who must substitute the General part will also study: B. CENTRONE, Prima lezione di filosofia antica, Roma-Bari Laterza 2015. Otherwise he must approach the teacher to receive indications on adding texts, whose reading will compensate for lacking attendance: these texts will be agreed for every student, with regard to his previous knowledge, curriculum and interests.
Lessons (audio recording) will be available on the e-learning system.
LESSONS /AUDIO RECORDING (FILE WMA) WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE E-LEARNING SYSTEM AND ARE COMPULSORY PART OF THE EXAM FOR ALL STUDENTS, ATTENDING LESSONS OR NOT (cf. www. e-learning.univr.it).

Bibliography

Examination Methods

Prerequisites: Surely a previous knowledge of the history of the ancient and mediaeval philosophy allows to work easier within this scientific field: however it is not compulsory. The same can be said as to the ancient Greek and Latin languages. Better, an attention to lexical research and an interest in a critical reading of philosophical texts are very useful.

Teaching Methods: The course will be carried on by frontal lessons, with an introductory presentation of thinkers and philosophical schools, with direct reading of the texts and following discussions. Therefore attendance at classes will be very useful and desirable, though obviously not compulsory.
The same program is valid for the students who cannot attend lessons; nevertheless, they must pay attention to the previous point d (Integrations and substitutions).


Assesments: Some oral questions will be put to the student; he will be invited to read and comment some passages of the original texts already read together during classes. The student may freely choose to write a little paper (5-7 pages) about the subjects discussed during classes and he will send this paper to the teacher a week before the official exam: the text will be discussed together during the exam.