Learning objectives
The course is addressed to students who already have some specific
expertise and acquaintance with medieval philosophy. It aims to enhance
students' capacity of making critical, informed and independent
judgment especially in the field of medieval philosophy, their
communication skills and continue learning (Descriptors III-V of Dublin).
In particular, the course aims to provide students with the following
knowledge and understanding skills (Descriptor I of Dublin): 1.1) detailed
knowledge of the medieval philosophical, theological and scientific
thought; 1.2) reading skills and in-depth understanding and comparison
of the classics of medieval philosophy, both in the original Latin and in
Italian translation; 1.3) critical assessment and comparison of the
different interpretations of texts and topics, and of their significance for
the historiography of medieval philosophy. The course also aims to
provide students with the following abilities to apply the acquired
knowledge and understanding skills (Descriptor II of Dublin): 2.1) writing
of text-documented and argument-based papers, practice of oral
expositions; 2.2) application to contemporary issues and debates of the
methodology and the argumentative techniques developed in the
historico-philosophical tradition.
Prerequisites
It is recommended an acquaintance with the Latin and a good knowledge of the history of ancient and medieval philosophy
Course unit content
Passions and reason in medieval thought. The course will focus on the analysis of some texts that relate to the nature of the passions and the statute of affect from Augustine to the thirteenth century. Milestones in this process are: the Augustinian texts on the passions of the soul, reflection of Cistercians and Victorins about affectivity, the treatise on the passions of Thomas Aquinas.
Full programme
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Bibliography
Tentative Bibliography:
Guglielmo di Saint Thierry, La natura del corpo e dell'anima, a cura di Alberto Siclari. – Firenze, Nardini, 1991.
- Riccardo di San Vittore, La preparazione dell' anima alla contemplazione, introduzione, traduzione e note di Mary Melone. - Milano : Paoline, 2012.
- Tommaso d'Aquino, Le passioni dell'anima : dalla Somma di teologia 1.,2., questioni 22-48, traduzione e introduzione di Silvana Vecchio. - Firenze : Le lettere, 2002.
- Simo Knuuttila, Emotions in ancient and medieval philosophy, Oxford : Clarendon Press, [2004].
- Piacere e dolore : materiali per una storia della passioni nel Medioevo, a cura di Carla Casagrande e Silvana Vecchio. - Firenze : SISMEL Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2009.
- Damien Boquet, L'ordre de l'affect au Moyen Age : autour de l'anthropologie affective d'Aelred de Rielvaux / ; préface Paulette L'Hermite-Leclercq. - Caen : Publications du CRAHM, 2005.
The examination program will be supplied at the beginning of the course
Teaching methods
Seminars with active participation of the students. A final written paper is required
Assessment methods and criteria
The verification will be done through the preparation of an oral report on one of the topics of the course and the final draft of the elaborate. It will be also assessed students' participation in the entire seminar.
Other information
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