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2022/2023

Critical Theory

Code: 100304 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500246 Philosophy OB 3 2

Contact

Name:
Gerard Vilar Roca
Email:
gerard.vilar@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Barbara Bayarri Viņas
Alfonso Hoyos Morales

Prerequisites

Proficiency in English and Spanish languages.

Objectives and Contextualisation

This subject offers a historical and systematic picture of the main philosophical problems addressed by the critical theory developed mainly by the so-called Frankfurt School. To this end, we will study the main texts that have produced the three generations of philosophers and the current trends of the feminist critical theory. 

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. Understanding the main problems and concepts used by critical theory.

2. To identify, analyze and explain some concepts and arguments.

3. To know the main theoretical approaches.

4. To be familiar with the main texts of the critical tradition.

5. To use the philosophical terminology appropriately

6. Developing the skills for the student's reasoning

7. To promote written and oral presentations of the acquired knowledge

8. To identify the conceptual, analytical and methodological potential offered by the critical theory

9. To establish a dialogue between the tradition of critical theory and other contemporary currents of social philosophy

Competences

  • Act within one's own area of knowledge, evaluating sex/gender-based inequalities.
  • Analysing and summarising the main arguments of fundamental texts of philosophy in its various disciplines.
  • Applying the knowledge of ethics to the moral problems of society, and assessing the implications about the human condition of changes in the world of contemporary techniques.
  • Placing the most representative philosophical ideas and arguments of a period in their historical background and relating the most important authors of each period of any philosophical discipline.
  • Recognising and interpreting topics and problems of philosophy in its various disciplines.
  • Recognising the philosophical implications of the scientific knowledge.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Thinking in a critical and independent manner on the basis of the specific topics, debates and problems of philosophy, both historically and conceptually.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analysing historical cases about scientific facts.
  2. Applying philosophical rigour in a written text following the international quality standards.
  3. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  4. Carrying out oral presentations using an appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
  5. Communicate by making non-sexist, non-discriminatory use of language.
  6. Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
  7. Discriminating the features that define the writer's place in the context of a problem and reorganising them in a consistent diagram.
  8. Distinguishing and analysing representative texts of the main genres of the philosophical literature.
  9. Distinguishing the topics of philosophical relevance in current debates.
  10. Documenting a philosophical issue and contrasting its sources.
  11. Establishing relationships between science, philosophy, art, religion, politics, etc.
  12. Explaining the philosophical importance of contemporary science and its implementation area.
  13. Explaining the specific notions of the History of Philosophy.
  14. Identifying the main ideas of a related text and drawing a diagram.
  15. Indicating and discussing the main characteristics of the distinctive thought of a period and contextualizing them.
  16. Indicating and summarising the common content of several manifestations of various fields of culture.
  17. Organizing their own time and work resources: designing plans with priorities of objectives, calendars and action commitments.
  18. Propose projects and actions that incorporate a gender perspective.
  19. Reading basic philosophical text thoroughly.
  20. Reading thoroughly philosophical texts of the History of Philosophy.
  21. Recognising, with a critical eye, philosophical referents of the past and present and assessing its importance.
  22. Relating several ideas of the current philosophical debates.
  23. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  24. Solving problems autonomously.
  25. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  26. Summarising the main arguments of the great contemporary texts of ethics and political philosophy.
  27. Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.

Content

  1. Critical theory and traditional theory (Horkheimer, Habermas)
  2. The critique of instrumental reason (Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse)
  3. Knowledge in constellations (Benjamin)
  4. Looking for a non-identifying reason (Adorno)
  5. The communicative reason (Habermas)
  6. The pathologies of reason (Honneth)
  7. Critical theory and gender (Fraser, Benhabib, Allen)

Methodology

  1. Master classes and other methodologies of group work in class.
  2. Writing workshop to follow-up the writing process of different works.
  3. Individualized tutorials or in small groups in office hours.
  4. Presentation of group work in class.
  5. Preparation of personalized itineraries and follow-up of the student's autonomous work.
  6. Collaborative and cooperative learning.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Class Activities 7 0.28 1, 10, 11, 13, 6, 4, 27, 17, 25, 21, 22, 26
Grup discussions 10 0.4 4, 17, 25
Theorical Classes 38 1.52 11, 13, 19, 21, 22
Type: Supervised      
Conducting works 12.5 0.5 12, 19, 20, 26
Tutorships 10 0.4 3, 7, 4, 14, 15, 19, 17, 25, 22, 24
Type: Autonomous      
Compulsory Readings 40 1.6 9, 8, 10, 14, 17, 22, 24, 26
Writing 25 1 6, 27, 14, 19, 25

Assessment

Evaluation:

Continuos evaluation consists in:   

1. Two partial exams

Partial 1 (4 points)

Partial 2 (4 points)

2. To write an essay (2000 words)  (2 points)

 
General information

- At the beginning of the course, the format to follow for the writing of the philosophical essay will be explained, and an expanded list of recommended readings will be provided.

- The dates for the written exams and the delivery of the remaining exercises are indicated in the course timeline. It will not be accepted any work out of the set dates. For more information, see the re-evaluation criteria.

- Any change in the assessment or content dates will be announced in advance.

- In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

- 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.
 
Non evaluable students

The students who do not present at least one of the two partial exams will not be evaluated at the end of the course unless they contact with the person in charge of the subject with enough time in advance. In that case, the professor will find an alternative evaluation for the student.
Criteria for reevaluation
In order to have a final grade, it is mandatory for the student to be evaluated both the partial and the essay.
Date of re-evaluation: to be determined.


WARNING - STUDENTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE RE-EVALUATION MUST CONTACT BY EMAIL WITH THE SUBJECT PROFESSOR TWO WEEKS BEFORE  OF THE DATA ESTABLISHED. PLEASE DO NOT FORGIVE TO EMAIL ME TO Gerard.Vilar@uab.cat

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Mid-term Exams 50% 3.5 0.14 1, 2, 16, 3, 5, 7, 9, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 6, 4, 27, 14, 15, 19, 20, 17, 25, 18, 21, 22, 24, 23, 26
Tutorships 25% 2 0.08 17, 25, 24
Writing a brief essay (2000 words) 25% 2 0.08 2, 3, 5, 27, 17, 25, 18, 23

Bibliography

References

Adorno, Th. and Horkheimer, M., Dialectic of Enlightenment.

Adorno, Negative Dialectics.

Benjamin, The Arcades Project

Fraser, Nancy, Fortunes of feminism

Habermas, The Theory of Communicative Action

Honneth, A., The Struggle for Recognition

Horkheimer, M., Critical Theory and Traditional Theory

Horkheimer, M, The Eclipse of Reason

Marcuse, H., Eros and Civilization

 

Further Readings

Benhabib, S. (2006). Situating the Self.

Benhabib, S. et al (1995). Feminist contentions: a Philosophical Exchange. Londres: Routledge.

Fraser, Nancy (1997). Justice Interruptus. Critical Reflections on the “postsocialist” position. 

____ (2008). Scales of Justice.

Habermas, J. (1989).The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity

Honneth, A., et al. (2019), The Routledge Companion to the Frankfurt School, Routledge

McCarthy, Th. (1992). Ideals and Illusions. 

Jay, M. (1988). The dialectical Imagination.

Rush, F. (ed.) (2004). The Cambridge Companion to Critical Theory. Cambridge: CUP

Wiggershaus, R. (2012). The Frankfurt School. 

Software

No specific program is used in this course.