Philosophy

2023/2024

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

4

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of Sociology

Course type:

Compulsory course

When:

1 year, 3, 4 module

Instructor

Кузьменко Анна Владимировна

Course Syllabus

Abstract

As a special mode of human rationality and creativity, philosophy has considerable intellectual value of its own but also underlies many accomplishments in science, art, religion and social organisation. The course introduces traditional philosophical topics such as logic, metaphysics, epistemology, language, right and wrong, justice and power, and recipes for virtuous life. The discussion centers on questions rather than on prominent figures and eras in the history of philosophy and aims to give a lucid and vivid introduction to complicated topics.

Learning Objectives

• Upon the completion of the course, the student is supposed to be able to explain and apply the basic tools of deductive and inductive reasoning, point out and avoid fallacies
• Upon the completion of the course, the student is supposed to be able to conceptualize the nature of philosophical enquiry as opposed to science, art, and religion
• Upon the completion of the course, the student is supposed to be able to point out some of the main domains and topics in philosophy and explain key positions on them
• Upon the completion of the course, the student is supposed to be able to evaluate the merits and demerits of philosophical viewpoints and apply philosophical theories to test cases

Expected Learning Outcomes

• being able to explain and apply the basic tools of deductive and inductive reasoning, point out and avoid fallacies
• being able to rationally debate the topics in theoretical philosophy and to apply thought experiments to the evaluation of philosophical theories
• being able to evaluate actions from the viewpoint of main approaches to the problem of right and wrong
• being able to point out the philosophical underpinnings of social and political organisation
• evaluate the merits and demerits of philosophical viewpoints and apply philosophical theories to test cases

Course Contents

• Critical thinking
• Metaphysics and epistemology
• Value theory: ethics
• Value theory: political philosophy
• Projects

Assessment Elements

• project
  a group project whose results are presented at one of the closing meetings of the class; students will be required to provide an analysis of a case drawn from an influential work of literature or cinematography and defend their case in public
• performance in class
  posing and answering questions, arguing points
• written essay
  a written paper done at home during the course

Interim Assessment

• 2023/2024 4th module
  0.4 * performance in class + 0.3 * project + 0.3 * written essay

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Pritchard, D. (2016). What Is This Thing Called Philosophy? London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1222339

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Chrisman, M., & Pritchard, D. (2017). Philosophy for Everyone (Vol. Second edition). New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1286862

Authors

• TISKIN DANIIL BORISOVICH
• DEMIN MAKSIM ROSTISLAVOVICH
• FAUL BOGDAN VLADIMIROVICH