Learning objectives
The course aims to consolidate and deepen:
1: the following abilities of acquiring knowledge and understanding (Dublin descriptor I):
(a) in-depth knowledge of relevant authors and themes in the history of logical and philosophical thought in the ancient and medieval ages;
(b) ability to read, analyze and critically interpret some classical texts of the history of philosophy, both in the original language (Latin) and in the translation into modern languages;
(c) knowledge of the philosophical technical terminology necessary for the interpretation of the texts.
2: the following abilities to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding
(Dublin descriptor II):
(a) ability to recognize the structure and to reformulate different types of arguments of logical and philosophical nature, ability to criticize such arguments and to argue one's own philosophical position in a debate;
(b) ability to elaborate one's knowledge through oral and written reports and tests, through philosophical argumentation and based on the historically documented reference to ancient and medieval texts, in their original version (primary literature) and in their different modern interpretations (secondary literature);
(c) ability to recognize the theoretical and conceptual connections between the history of ancient and medieval logic and some debates in the philosophy of contemporary logic.
3-4-5: the following communication and learning skills and abilities of making independent judgments (Dublin descriptor III-IV-V):
(a) ability to analyze and criticize a logical and/or philosophical text, both from a historical and a philosophical point of view;
(b) ability to entertain a critical attitude towards the text and report one's own analysis in oral and written form, through debates and through written reports;
(c) ability to interact on a philosophical level with teachers and colleagues, in Italian and English, through the guided reading of the texts, through questions and debates during class hours and through written reports.
Prerequisites
Good knowledge of English is also recommended.
Course unit content
Title: "The Renaissance before the Renaissance: Culture, Texts and Philosophy in the 12th century"
The project involves the organization of a course held in co-teaching mode between the Universities of Parma and Warsaw, with two reference professors, Irene Binini (Parma) and Magdalena Bieniak (Warsaw), who will collaborate in all phases of structuring of the course, lectures, organization of in presence activities and student assessment. The course is dedicated to the history of medieval philosophy and logic, with a particular focus on the 12th century and on the "Cultural Renaissance" process associated with this historical period. The course is designed in an interdisciplinary key, and aims to address not only the students of the master's course in Philosophy but also of other master's study courses of the department. In fact, the central theme of the course will be declined both in a philosophical key, presenting the history of philosophy of this period through the figures of two important authors of the period, Peter Abelard and Gilbert of Poitiers, and in a historical, codicological and palaeographic key, addressing such as the history of the book and of the school system in the 12th century.
In addition to the two responsible teachers, the online part of the course will also make use of the collaboration with some external teachers, who will intervene in some lessons by presenting topics of their competence relating to the philosophy and cultural history of the XII century.
The main contents of the course will be the following:
1) Masters and philosophical schools in the first half of the XII century
2) The philosophy of Peter Abelard
3) The philosophy of Gilbert of Poitiers
4) The philosophical thought of the XII century and its ancient and late ancient sources
5) Manuscripts and philosophical codes of the XII century
6) Logic and ontology in the XII century - a comparison with the contemporary philosophical discussion.
Full programme
Title: "The Renaissance before the Renaissance: Culture, Texts and Philosophy in the 12th century"
The project involves the organization of a course held in co-teaching mode between the Universities of Parma and Warsaw, with two reference professors, Irene Binini (Parma) and Magdalena Bieniak (Warsaw), who will collaborate in all phases of structuring of the course, lectures, organization of in presence activities and student assessment. The course is dedicated to the history of medieval philosophy and logic, with a particular focus on the 12th century and on the "Cultural Renaissance" process associated with this historical period. The course is designed in an interdisciplinary key, and aims to address not only the students of the master's course in Philosophy but also of other master's study courses of the department. In fact, the central theme of the course will be declined both in a philosophical key, presenting the history of philosophy of this period through the figures of two important authors of the period, Peter Abelard and Gilbert of Poitiers, and in a historical, codicological and palaeographic key, addressing such as the history of the book and of the school system in the 12th century.
In addition to the two responsible teachers, the online part of the course will also make use of the collaboration with some external teachers, who will intervene in some lessons by presenting topics of their competence relating to the philosophy and cultural history of the XII century.
The main contents of the course will be the following:
1) Masters and philosophical schools in the first half of the XII century
2) The philosophy of Peter Abelard
3) The philosophy of Gilbert of Poitiers
4) The philosophical thought of the XII century and its ancient and late ancient sources
5) Manuscripts and philosophical codes of the XII century
6) Logic and ontology in the XII century - a comparison with the contemporary philosophical discussion.
All the teaching activities of the course will be held in English. A prerequisite for participation is therefore a good knowledge of English, both written and spoken. There are no other prerequisites required, and in particular the course is not aimed only at students of the master's degree in Philosophy but at all students of the DUSIC department with an interest in the history and culture of the Middle Ages. The course will have a seminar character, and will therefore include the alternation of "frontal" lessons, in which the teachers will introduce the main topics of the course and the methodological aspects related to it, and moments of exchange and open discussion among the students. Students who join the project will also undertake to carry out a short independent research on one of the topics of the course, which will then be presented in a written version and will constitute the final exam. In the preparation of their work, the students will be supervised by the professors in charge and by the assistant professors. The paper can be written both in English and in Italian.
Bibliography
During the course several parts from the texts listed below (among others) will be discussed. All texts that will be used will be made known to the students during the first week of lessons:
Primary literature:
Selected passages translated into English from:)
• Boethius, M.A.S. 1969. De Hypotheticis Syllogismis. Ed. Orbetello. Paideia 1969.
• Abaelard, Peter. 1970. Dialectica: First complete edition of the Parisian manuscript. Edited by L. M. de Rijk. Revised ed. Wijsgerige teksten en studies, no. 1. Assen: Van Gorcum.
• Anselm of Canterbury. 1969. ‘Philosophical Fragments’. In Memorials of St. Anselm, 334–51. Edited by R. W. Southern, F. S. Schmitt. Auctores Britannici Medii Aevi 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Secondary literature:
• J. Marenbon and C. Tarlazzi, 2018. ‘Logic’. In The European Book in the Twelfth Century. Edited by E. Kwakkel and R. Thomson, 215–39. Cambridge: Cam¬bridge University Press.
• J. Marenbon. 2008. ‘Logic at the Turn of the Twelfth Century’. In Handbook of the History of Logic, 2:65–81. Elsevier.
• (A selection from:) Marenbon, John. 1997. The Philosophy of Peter Abelard. Cambridge: Cambridge Univer¬sity Press.
• (A selection from:) Martin, Christopher J. 2004. ‘Logic’. in The Cambridge Companion to Peter Abelard. by J. E. Brower and K. Guilfoy, 158–99. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• (A selection from:) Knuuttila, Simo, 2010, ‘Medieval Commentators on Future Contingents in De Interpretatione 9’, Vivarium, 48, 1–2, pp. 75–95.
• (A selection from:) Binini, Irene. 2021. Possibility and Necessity in the Time of Peter Abelard. Brill, 2021. (Chapter 9).
The teacher will be responsible for providing students with a digital copy (in the original version and in translation) of the parts of the text discussed during the lessons.
Any teaching material used or distributed during the lessons will be uploaded on the ELLY platform, under the heading of the course.
Non-attending students are invited to contact the teacher to agree on a program and an alternative bibliography (either in English or Italian).
Teaching methods
All the teaching activities of the course will be held in English. A prerequisite for participation is therefore a good knowledge of English, both written and spoken. There are no other prerequisites required, and in particular the course is not aimed only at students of the master's degree in Philosophy but at all students of the DUSIC department with an interest in the history and culture of the Middle Ages. The course will have a seminar character, and will therefore include the alternation of "frontal" lessons, in which the teachers will introduce the main topics of the course and the methodological aspects related to it, and moments of exchange and open discussion among the students. Students who join the project will also undertake to carry out a short independent research on one of the topics of the course, which will then be presented in a written version and will constitute the final exam. In the preparation of their work, the students will be supervised by the professors in charge and by the assistant professors. The paper can be written both in English and in Italian.
Assessment methods and criteria
The exam consists in the drafting of a short written paper (about 10-12 pages, written in English or Italian) in which the student must demonstrate his / her ability to formulate and discuss a specific logical / philosophical problem (related to the theme of the course), to reconstruct the theoretical position of a particular author and place it in the historical context of origin. The oral part of the exam consists of a discussion based on the essay.
Other information
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