Social Philosophy
Code: 108440Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | OP | 3 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Begonya Saez Tajafuerce
- Email :
- begonya.saez@uab.cat
Teaching staff
- Chiara Bottici
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this class.
Objectives
The objective of this class is to provide students with an overview of the main features of social philosophy in its distinction from other related fields such as political philosophy and ethics.
To do so students will be guided through some texts that have theorized the need for a distinction between the social and the political, and examine how that distinction is argued for (and/ or contested) in different philosophical traditions, within and beyond the West.
Learning outcomes
- CM23 (Critically interpret, through the integration of different philosophical knowledge, the human dimension in its multiple facets: existential, social, ethical and aesthetic.) Critically interpret, through the integration of different philosophical knowledge, the human dimension in its multiple facets: existential, social, ethical and aesthetic.
- CM24 (Develop a plural, reflective and committed philosophical attitude, capable of dialoguing with different cultural traditions and ways of thinking.) Develop a plural, reflective and committed philosophical attitude, capable of dialoguing with different cultural traditions and ways of thinking.
- CM25 (Attempt a philosophical reflection oriented towards life, mutual understanding and the critical transformation of social, symbolic and cultural frameworks.) Attempt a philosophical reflection oriented towards life, mutual understanding and the critical transformation of social, symbolic and cultural frameworks.
- KM26 (Recognise the diversity of ways in which philosophy is expressed and articulated with culture, politics, literature, and everyday life.) Recognise the diversity of ways in which philosophy is expressed and articulated with culture, politics, literature, and everyday life.
- KM27 (Identify interpretative frameworks for the analysis of complex philosophical texts, both classical and contemporary, in their respective historical and cultural contexts, highlighting in both the social position of the subjects.) Identify interpretative frameworks for the analysis of complex philosophical texts, both classical and contemporary, in their respective historical and cultural contexts, highlighting in both the social position of the subjects.
- KM28 (Identify key concepts, problems, and authors from different philosophical traditions, both Western and non-Western, with an emphasis on omissions due to gender, race, or class discrimination.) Identify key concepts, problems, and authors from different philosophical traditions, both Western and non-Western, with an emphasis on omissions due to gender, race, or class discrimination.
- KM46 (Recognise through debates the relationship between literature, philosophy, knowledge and interpretation of reality.) Recognise through debates the relationship between literature, philosophy, knowledge and interpretation of reality.
- SM27 (Make a rigorous and profound analysis of philosophical texts from various traditions and genres, identifying argumentative structures, presuppositions and key problems.) Make a rigorous and profound analysis of philosophical texts from various traditions and genres, identifying argumentative structures, presuppositions and key problems.
- SM28 (Apply philosophical categories in interdisciplinary contexts, articulating conceptual thinking, historical sensibility, and critical awareness.) Apply philosophical categories in interdisciplinary contexts, articulating conceptual thinking, historical sensibility, and critical awareness.
- SM29 (Communicate complex philosophical reflections, both orally and in writing, with clarity, argumentative coherence and use of technical language in diverse discursive contexts.) Communicate complex philosophical reflections, both orally and in writing, with clarity, argumentative coherence and use of technical language in diverse discursive contexts.
- SM45 (Comparatively analyse philosophical and literary texts, exploring how both fields dialogue on topics such as subjectivity and truth.) Comparatively analyse philosophical and literary texts, exploring how both fields dialogue on topics such as subjectivity and truth.
Contents
The class will be organized along five main clusters of questions.
Each session will be a mix of frontal lecture by the professor and seminar discussion on the assigned texts.
I. What is society? Is it distinct from politics? If politics, as the etymology suggests, simply means what concerns the polis, the life in common, in what ways is it different from society? Is the distinction between politics and society, which has been developed by Western political philosophers, a universal one or a construct that holds true only for the West? Is society specifically human and, if so, what defines humanity?
II. How to study society? Are the tools elaborated by European critical theory enough or do we need to move beyond Eurocentrism and towards a more global critical theory?
III. What does it mean to live with others? Are the others disembodied autonomous subjects or concrete bodies marked by gender, class, race, and species?
IV. Is there a specific tradition of social philosophy? How to theorize it in a way that is beyond both androcentrism and Eurocentrism?
V. What are the different faces of structural injustices created by society? Will the master's tools ever be able to dismantle the master's house? Is society only human or should it also include the more-than-human?
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| individual and group tutoring | 5 | 0.2 | CM24, KM46, SM29 |
| study and exam preparation | 40 | 1.6 | CM25, KM27, KM28, SM28 |
| master class | 30 | 1.2 | CM24, CM25, KM26, KM27, KM28, SM28 |
| Text reading and analysis | 35 | 1.4 | CM23, KM26, KM27, KM28, SM27, SM29, SM45 |
| text discussion | 10 | 0.4 | CM23, KM26, KM27, SM27, SM45 |
The class will be based on:
- Interpretative methodology, whereby students learn to interpret and study texts in their contexts
- Anarchafeminist methodology whereby students learn to combine feminist methodologies with decolonial and post-human approaches
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| text commentary | 30% | 20 | 0.8 | CM24, KM26, SM27, SM29, SM45 |
| oral comprehensive exam | 40% | 5 | 0.2 | CM24, CM25, KM26, KM28, KM46, SM28, SM29 |
| written exam | 30% | 5 | 0.2 | CM23, CM25, KM27, KM28, SM28, SM29 |
The evaluation of the subject is understood as a continuous and progressive process, which extends throughout the entire school period and is developed based on the performance of different evaluation activities:
Text commentary (30% of the final grade)
Written exam (30% of the final grade)
Oral comprehensive exam (40% of the final grade)
On the first day of class, instructions will be given regarding the procedure for each evaluation activity.
The rubrics for each activity will be uploaded to the Virtual Campus.
The teaching plan for the subject will also be explained and made available to students on the Virtual Campus, indicating the content of the sessions and the dates of evaluation activities.
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
EVALUATION IN CASE OF NON-ATTENDANCE:
In the event that the tests cannot be taken in person (due justification due to illness, etc.), their format will be adapted (maintaining their weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB's virtual tools. The teacher will ensure that the student can access it or will offer alternative means, which are within their reach.
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
The absence or late submission of the evaluation activities, without a duly justified and accredited cause, will imply the non-evaluation of that activity. Evaluation evidence that does not conform to the format standards of the guidelines and rubrics for carrying out the work will not be accepted.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:
This subject allows the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies exclusively in tasks of bibliographic search or information search, text correction or translations. The student must (i) identify the parts that have been generated with AI; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and will result in the activity being assessed with a 0 and not being able to be recovered, or greater sanctions in serious cases.
ON PLAGIARISM IN WORKS AND/OR COPYING IN EXAMS:
The current regulations will apply: Article 116. Assessment results (Article modified by Governing Council Agreement of March 19, 2015):
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
GRADING OF "NON-ASSESSABLE"
Students will obtain a not assessed/not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30 % of the assessment items.
RETAKING CRITERIA
Suspended students who meet the criteria for being assessable or who choose to raise their grade may opt for retake. The text presentation is not retaken.
SINGLE ASSESSMENT
his subject does not allow a single assessment.
Bibliography
The final bibliography of the course will be indicated on the first day of class.
Here there is a list of basic bibliography:
1 Chiara Bottici, Anarchafeminism, London, Bloomsbury (2022)
2. Georg Simmel, “How Is Society Possible?” (1908) (section of his foundational text Soziologie, published in English as a separate article in "American Journal of Sociology 16, (1910-11): 372-391)
3. Chiara Bottici, “Rethinking the biopolitical turn: from the thanatopolitical to the geneapolitical paradigm,” Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal 35, No. 1(2015), 175-197
4. Michelle Murphy 2015, “Reproduction,” in Mojab, S. (ed.), Marxism and Feminism (Zed Books), pp. 287-305
5. Hannah Arendt — “The Public Realm: The Common” (in The Human Condition, The University of Chicago Press, 1958)
6. Audre Lorde 1984, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference,” in Sister Outsider, pp.192-208 [epub]
7. Axel Honneth, “Pathologies of the Social: The Past and Present of Social Philosophy”, In David M. Rasmussen, The Handbook of Critical Theory. Cambridge, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 369--398 (1996)
8. Maria Lugones, 2016, “The Coloniality of Gender,” in Wendy Harcourt (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Development (Basingstoke: Palgrave), pp. 13-33
9. Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí, 2004. “Conceptualizing gender: Eurocentric foundations of feminist concepts and the challenge of African Epistemologies”, A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies: 1-9
10. Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí, 1997, The Invention of Women (University of Minnesota Press), pp. 1-30.
Software
No specific sotfware is required
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 1 | English | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | English | second semester | morning-mixed |