Important notice
The course guide is provisional.
The PDF version of the course guide may take a few days to become available in the DDD.
Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Care Ethics I. The Western perspective
Code: 45065Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophies of Care | OB | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Jesús Adrian Escudero
- Email :
- jesus.adrian@uab.cat
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
Proficiency in English is recommended to be able to read and consult the majority of the primary and secondary literature in the subject.
Objectives
1. Understanding and analyzing ethical principles: Students should be able to identify, understand, and analyze the main ethical principles and philosophical theories that underpin care and decision-making in professional and personal contexts.
2. Developing critical thinking skills: Fostering critical thinking in students so they can evaluate complex situations, identify ethical dilemmas, and formulate informed and morally coherent decisions in their professional practice.
3. Applying ethical concepts to real situations: Assisting students in applying ethical concepts and frameworks to real-world situations, especially those related to the care of individuals and communities, to make well-founded ethical decisions in their daily practice.
5. Understanding the impact of personal and cultural values: Students should explore how personal, cultural, and social values influence ethical perspective and decision-making, promoting a sensitive and respectful practice towards diversity and human dignity.
6. Promoting personal and professional reflection: Encouraging continuous personal and professional reflection on one's practice and ethical values, promoting the development of a robust personal ethics and a sustained commitment to integrity and excellence in care.
Learning outcomes
- CA01 (Come up with proposals that collaboratively and cooperatively analyse the ethics of care in the Western tradition in interdisciplinary teams.) Come up with proposals that collaboratively and cooperatively analyse the ethics of care in the Western tradition in interdisciplinary teams.
- CA02 (Assess and correct your own work in applied philosophical reflection.) Assess and correct your own work in applied philosophical reflection.
- KA01 (Identify the concept of care throughout the history of Western philosophy.) Identify the concept of care throughout the history of Western philosophy.
- KA02 (Analyse the practical purpose of the ethics of care in the context of philosophy as a way of life.) Analyse the practical purpose of the ethics of care in the context of philosophy as a way of life.
- KA03 (Recognise spaces of care in professional spheres in today’s society (environment, health, care, education).) Recognise spaces of care in professional spheres in today’s society (environment, health, care, education).
- SA01 (Compare the main conceptions of care from the contemporary world and the classical tradition.) Compare the main conceptions of care from the contemporary world and the classical tradition.
- SA02 (Analyse practical cases of the application of care in different professional contexts in today's world.) Analyse practical cases of the application of care in different professional contexts in today's world.
- SA03 (Apply knowledge of classical works in the Western philosophical tradition to current perspectives on the philosophy of care.) Apply knowledge of classical works in the Western philosophical tradition to current perspectives on the philosophy of care.
- SA04 (Critically and rigorously interpret classical and contemporary document sources related to the conception of care in Western philosophy.) Critically and rigorously interpret classical and contemporary document sources related to the conception of care in Western philosophy.
Contents
- Brief history of care
1.1 From Socrates to the Hellenistic schools
1.2 From Montaigne to Nietzsche
1.3 From Heidegger to Foucault
1.4 Ethics of care in contemporary debate
Required readings:
Hadot, P. (2009). “La filosofía como vida y como búsqueda de la sabiduría” y “De Sócrates a Foucault. Una larga tradición”. En P. Hadot, Filosofía como forma de vida. Madrid: Alpha Decay, pp. 151-182 y 183-214.
Nussbaum, M. (2003)/[1994]. “Argumentos terapéuticos”. En M. Nussbaum, La terapia del deseo. Teoría y práctica en la ética helenística. Barcelona: Paidós, pp. 33-74.
2.The classical tradition of care
2.1 Socrates: master of wisdom T
2.2. The forging of character: Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius
Required readings:
Foucault, M. (2005)/[1982]. La hermenéutica del sujeto (Curso del Collège de France de 1982. Clase del 6 de enero de 1982). Madrid: Akal, pp. 13-35.
Epicteto y Hadot. P. (2019). Manual para la vida feliz. Madrid: Errata Naturae. (Se recomienda esta edición del texto de Epicteto, acompañado de un excelente manual de lectura redactado por Pierre Hadot).
3. Heidegger and the ontology of care
3.1 The ontological structure of care
3. 2 Positionality and fourfold: technical domination versus care
Required readings:
Heidegger, M. (2021)/[1951]. Construir, habitar, pensar. Madrid: La Oficina. (Traducción de Jesús Adrián Escudero).
Heidegger, M. (2021)/[1953]. La pregunta por la técnica. Barcelona: Herder. (Traducción de Jesús Adrián Escudero).
4. Foucault: the ethics of self-care and care of others
4.1 From the theory of power to the ethics of care
4.2 The techniques of the self
Required readings:
Foucault, M. (1999)/[1982]. “Las técnicas de sí”. En M. Foucualt, Estética, ética y hermenéutica (Obras esenciales, vol. III). Barcelona: Paidós, pp. 443-474.
Foucault (1987)/[1984]. “Introducción y modificaciones”. En M. Foucault, Historia de la sexualidad. 2. El uso de los placeres. Madrid: Siglo XXI, pp.7-34.
5. Contemporary ethics of care I
5.1 Fundamental pillars: vulnerability, relationality, and interdependence
5.2 Origin and stages of development of ethics of care
5.3 Meaning, elements, and spaces of care
Required readings:
Camps, V. (2021). Tiempo de cuidados. Otra forma de estar en el mundo. Barcelona: Arpa, pp, 17-51.
Held, V. (2006). “Care as Practice and Value”. En V. Held, The Ethics of Care. Personal, Political, and Global. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 29-42.
6. Contemporary ethics of care II
6.1 From modern liberal morals to ethics of care T
6.2 The five dimensions of care
6.3 Care providers: State, market, civil society?
Required readings:
Tronto, J. (2013). “Envisoning a Caring Democracy” y “Can Markets Be Caring? Markets, Care, and Justice”.En J. Tronto, Caring Democracy. Markets, Equality, and Justice. Nueva York y Londres: New York University Press, pp. 17-65 y 114-137.
Tronto, J. (2015). Who Cares? How to Reshape a Democratic Politics. Cornell: Cornell University Press.
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Studies | 1 | 0.04 | CA02, KA02, SA01 |
| Readings | 2 | 0.08 | SA03, SA04 |
| PPT and video presentations | 2 | 0.08 | CA01, SA01, SA04 |
| External links | 2 | 0.08 | CA02, KA01, SA03 |
| Tutorship | 1 | 0.04 | SA02 |
The methodology is mainly based on self-directed learning and the flipped classroom.
The course is divided into six blocks organized asynchronously. Each block contains the following resources:
- A training module with a video presentation of the central contents of the block.
- Links and external materials to expand on the contents presented in the training module.
- Two short and assessable required readings.
- An assessable quiz with multiple-choice answers after the end of each module. Time to complete the test will be 90 minutes.
- Each module will include a prior self-assessment allowing students to reflect on their own learning process and evaluate the degree to which they have assimilated the content covered. This metacognitive exercise is not graded but orientational in nature: it aims to help students honestly identify their areas of understanding and their gaps before completing the survey, thereby bringing greater awareness and rigour to their responses.
Upon completing the quiz, the student can move on to the next module until all six modules are completed. At that point, an online tutoring session with the responsible individuals of the course will take place (synchronous if the schedules of the teacher and student allow, asynchronous otherwise), where the theme and contents of the mandatory essay to pass the course will be coordinated.
Additionally, there will be a forum accessible only to the students of the course where they can ask questions to the faculty and fellow students and discuss issues related to the subject matter. If preferred, students can also send personal questions via email to the person responsible for the course.
Note: 15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the schedule established by the center/program, for students to complete the evaluation surveys of the teaching staff's performance and the course evaluation
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz | 60% | 45 | 1.8 | KA01, KA02, KA03, SA01, SA02, SA04 |
| 2 book reviews | 40% | 97 | 3.88 | CA01, CA02, SA03, SA04 |
The evaluation will be continued and consists of two parts:
- An exam at the end of each module (60%). This corresponds to 6 simple quizzes. Each quiz will consist of 10 to 20 questions related to the explanations given in each module and the two mandatory readings per module.
- Submit two book reviews (40%).
Plagiarism
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.
Use of AI
This subject allows the use of AI technologies exclusively for support tasks such as
[***bibliographic or content-based searches, text correction or translations, where applicable].
In the case of subjects in a Modern Languages degree, use of translation must be specifically
authorised by the teacher. Other specific situations may be contemplated, as deemed
appropriate by the teacher.
The student must clearly (i) identify which parts have been generated using AI technology; (ii)
specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the
process and final outcome of the activity.
Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in the assessed activity will be considered academic
dishonesty; the corresponding grade may be lowered, or the work may even be awarded a zero.
In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
Bibliography
Brugère, F. (2011). L’Éthique du “Care”. París: PUF.
Butler, J. (2016). “Rethinking Vulnerability and Resistance”. En J. Butler, Z. Gambetti y L. Sabsay (eds.), Vulnerability in Resistance. Durham: Duke University Press, cap. 1.
Camps, V. (2021). Tiempo de cuidados. Otra forma de estar en el mundo. Barcelona: Arpa.
Foucault, M. (1999a)/[1982]. “La hermenéutica del sujeto”. En M. Foucualt, Estética, ética y hermenéutica (Obras esenciales, vol. III). Barcelona: Paidós, pp. 275-288.
Foucault, M. (1999b)/[1982]. “Las técnicas de sí”. En M. Foucualt, Estética, ética y hermenéutica (Obras esenciales, vol. III). Barcelona: Paidós, pp. 443-474. (El mismo texto está disponible en M. Foucault (1999). Las tecnologías del yo. Barcelona: Paidós).
Hadot, P. (2009). Filosofía como forma de vida. Madrid: Alpha Decay.
Held, V. (2006). The Ethics of Care. Personal, Political, and Global. New York: Oxford University Press.
Nussbaum, M. (2003)/[1994]. La terapia del deseo. Teoría y práctica en la ética helenística. Barcelona: Paidós, cap. 1 y 13.
Tronto, J. (2015). Who Cares? How to Reshape a Democratic Politics. Cornell: Cornell University Press.
Urban, P. y Ward, L. (2020). “Introducing the Context of a Moral and Political Theory of Care”. En P. Urban y L. Ward (eds.), Care Ethics, Democratic Citizenship, and the State. Suiza: Palmgrave Macmillan, pp. 1-28.
At the beginning of each module, a specific bibliographic selection for each topic will be provided, along with a series of audiovisual materials and a list of complementary readings.
Software
Having programs and devices that allow access to audiovisual content.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (VIRT2022m) Classes virtuals (màster) | 70 | Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |