Learning objectives
By the end of the class the student will (in accordance with the Dublin indicators):
1. Read and master the basic vocabulary of ethical reflection on topics such as tolerance, pluralism, human dignity, personal rights, cultural diversity.
2. Apply the concepts learned in class on events and problems characterizing contemporary society.
3. Take a stance lucidly and on the basis of arguments on ethical issues pertaining to the topics examined in class.
4. Converse and debate on the ethical topics discussed in class making explicit references to the vocabulary and the argumentative strategies of the philosophical tradition.
5. Read and understanding autonomously complex philosophical texts on ethics.
Prerequisites
None
Course unit content
In present-day society, characterized by a pluralistic and multi-cultural orientation, it is imperative to stimulate reflection on an ethics of respect focusing on the various meanings of this term in different contexts. “Respect” is tightly connected to other and equally significant fundamental ethical concepts such as “recognition”, “tolerance”, “human dignity”, and “person”. Moreover, talk of “respect” can be extended to more specific domains, such as respect for the environment, for non-human animals, monuments or artworks. This class will be devoted to an exploration of the concept of respect in conjunction with the concepts of diversity and difference. The approach will be both historical and theoretical. We will focus chiefly on notion of tolerance with its anthropological and moral implications. Moreover, the class will stimulate attention to and theoretical engagement with ethical issues as a sort of cultural antidote to all forms of manipulation and violence.
Full programme
EXAMINATION PROGRAM
1) John Locke, Lettera sulla tolleranza (Laterza)
2)Voltaire, Trattato sulla tolleranza (Feltrinelli)
3) Achim Lohmar, "Che cos'è veramente la tolleranza?" trad. it. di A. Staiti (Available on Elly - DO NOT CIRCULATE)
4) Herbert Marcuse, La Tolleranza Repressiva, in Wolf/Moore/Marcuse (Einaudi), pp. 79-104. (Available on Elly)
5) Rainer Forst, "I Limiti della Tolleranza", TEORIA POLITICA 2001. (Available on Elly)
STUDENTS WHO CANNOT ATTEND CLASS MAY READ AS AN INTEGRATION:
M. L. Lanzillo, Tolleranza (Il Mulino 2002)
Bibliography
1. Locke, Lettera sulla tolleranza, Laterza 1998.
2. Voltaire, Trattato sulla tolleranza, Feltrinelli 2015.
3. Rainer Forst, "I Limiti della Tolleranza", TEORIA POLITICA 2001. (Available on Elly)
4. Achim Lohmar "Che cos'è veramente la tolleranza?". (Available on Elly - DO NOT CIRCULATE)
5. Herbert Marcuse, La Tolleranza Repressiva, in Wolf/Moore/Marcuse (Einaudi), pp. 79-104. Available on ELLY.
Teaching methods
CLOSE
The class will include (1) frontal lectures devoted to the reading and interpretation of key texts; (2) discussion sessions focusing on current problems and concrete cases; (3) seminars featuring invited international scholars specializing on the topics under scrutiny.
Assessment methods and criteria
The class will include an oral final exam focusing on testing the command of texts and topics discussed in class.
Assessment criteria and assessment thresholds:
30 cum laude: Excellent, excellent solidity of knowledge, excellent expressive properties, excellent understanding of the concepts
30: Very good. Complete and adequate knowledge, well-articulated and correctly expressed
27-29: Good, satisfactory knowledge, essentially correct expression.
24-26: Fairly good knowledge, but not complete and not always correct.
22-23: Generally sufficient knowledge but superficial. Expression is often not appropriate and confused.
18-21: Sufficient. The expression and articulation of the speech show important gaps.
<18: insufficient knowledge or very incomplete, lack of guidance in discipline, expression seriously deficient. Exam failed.
Other information
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