Introduction Philosophical Problems
Code: 100292 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | FB | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Laura Benitez Valero
- Email:
- laura.benitez@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
None
Objectives and Contextualisation
This course offers an introduction to philosophical practice based on the analysis of transhistorical problems that cut across philosophy, organised around four thematic areas: identity, the relationship with digital technologies, precariousness and the ecological crisis. This approach highlights how philosophy, in dialogue with other disciplines, addresses fundamental questions present throughout time and in the current context. Through reading, debate and reflection, students will learn to formulate and explore philosophical questions, to develop conceptual tools and to critically interpret reality. The course proposes a commitment to philosophical thinking based on everyday life, promoting a philosophical practice that is both rigorous and sensitive to situated experiences. Philosophy will be worked on as an argumentative practice, as a critical attitude and research of meaning, as well as an open and interdisciplinary dialogue. The aim is for students to acquire a reflective and committed philosophical outlook in order to intervene in an informed and creative way in the challenges of the contemporary world.
Competences
- Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic valurs.
- Act within one's own area of knowledge, evaluating sex/gender-based inequalities.
- Recognising and interpreting topics and problems of philosophy in its various disciplines.
- 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 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
- Arguing about several issues and philosophical problems for the purpose of different works and the assessment of the results.
- Assess the impact of the difficulties, prejudices and discriminations that actions or projects may involve, in the short or long term, in relation to certain persons or groups.
- Correctly drawing up a previously analysed non-regulatory text.
- Distinguishing the topics of philosophical relevance in current debates.
- Establishing relationships between science, philosophy, art, religion, politics, etc.
- Expressing both orally and in written form, the issues and basic problems of the philosophical tradition.
- Identify the principal sex-/gender-based inequalities and discriminations present in society.
- Indicating and summarising the common content of several manifestations of various fields of culture.
- Recognising, with a critical eye, philosophical referents of the past and present and assessing its importance.
- Relating several ideas of the current philosophical debates.
- Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
- Summarizing the main arguments of the analysed philosophical texts.
- Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.
Content
Introduction
The course begins with an exploration of four key axes of philosophical thought: identity, the relationship with digital technologies, precarity, and the ecological crisis. Throughout the course, these issues will be analyzed from a philosophical perspective, addressing questions such as the construction of identity, the effects of digitalization on perception, knowledge, and relationships, the material conditions of life in a context of vulnerability and inequality, and the ethical and ontological challenges posed by the climate emergency. This approach will allow students to establish connections between major philosophical questions and everyday experience.
Reference readings:
Colebrook, Claire. “The Politics and Potential of Everyday Life: Dónde the Very Concept of Everyday Life.” New Literary History 33, no. 4 (2002): 687–706.
Santiago López-Petit, “Más allá de la crítica de la vida cotidiana,” Revista de Filosofía, no. 9–10 (2014–2015): 71–84.
Block 1: Thinking Identity
This block examines the question of identity from a philosophical perspective, exploring how identity is constructed in the contemporary context marked by globalization, interculturality, the breakdown of binary oppositions, and power dynamics. It will address notions of individual and collective identity, as well as intersectionality. The block provides a first introduction to philosophical theories of identity and how they are applied today.
Reference readings:
Esquirol, Josep Maria. Uno mismo y los otros. De las experiencias existenciales a la interculturalidad. Barcelona: Herder Editorial, 2005.
Crenshaw, Kimberlé W. “Cartografiando los márgenes: interseccionalidad, políticas identitarias, y violencia contra las mujeres de color.” In Intersecciones: cuerpos y sexualidades en la encrucijada, edited by Lucas Platero, 87–122. Barcelona: Ediciones Bellaterra, 2012.
Block 2: Thinking Screens
This block explores how technology—especially screens and digital media—mediate human experience. We will examine the philosophical implications of living in an increasingly digitalized world and the growing presence of AI: how does this affect our perception of reality, identity, relationships, and autonomy? The block seeks to understand the impact of digital technologies on everyday life and the perception of reality. It will consider how screens and technological mediation transform experience and identity, and reflect on the philosophical implications of technological dependence.
Reference readings:
Han, Byung-Chul. En el enjambre. Translated by Raúl Gabás. Barcelona: Herder Editorial, 2014.
Proyecto UNA. La viralidad del mal. Barcelona: Descontrol, 2024.
Block 3: Thinking Precarity
This block addresses the contemporary conditions of exhaustion and precarity, especially in the context of late/cognitive capitalism. We will explore the philosophical implications of fatigue, labor instability, lack of access to adequate housing, the imposition of happiness, and the erosion of personal and social well-being. The block proposes an analysis of the concept of precarity and its relationship to current economic and labor conditions, reflection on the impact of exhaustion, and exploration of philosophical alternatives to precarious conditions.
Reference readings:
Fisher, Mark. Realismo capitalista: ¿no hay alternativa? Madrid: Caja Negra Editora, 2016.
bergman, carla, and Nick Montgomery. Militancia alegre. Tejer resistencias, florecer en tiempos tóxicos. Madrid: Traficantes de Sueños, 2023.
Block 4: Thinking at a Planetary Scale
This final block invites reflection on the philosophical problems that arise when thinking at a planetary scale. It addresses issues of ecology, climate change, and how philosophy can respond to a global—yet unequal—environmental crisis. The block seeks to understand the impact of globalization, colonialism, and climate change on contemporary philosophy, explore ethical and philosophical responsibilities in a globalized context, and reflect on how to think and act philosophically on a planetary scale.
Reference readings:
Haraway, Donna J. El patriarcado del osito Teddy. Taxidermia en el Jardín del Edén. Buenos Aires and Barcelona: Sans Soleil Ediciones, 2015.
Puleo, Alicia H. Claves ecofeministas. Para rebeldes que aman a la Tierra y a los animales. Madrid: Plaza y Valdés, 2019.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Sessions in the classroom | 45 | 1.8 | 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| To prepare the seminars | 20 | 0.8 | 6, 11, 3, 12 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Reading of compulsory texts | 77.5 | 3.1 | 5, 9, 3, 10, 12 |
The classroom sessions will combine theoretical classes with classes dedicated to the analysis and discussion of texts, which the students will have previously read.
Cooperative learning methods (Puzzle/Jigsaw)
Situated learning dynamics
UDL
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.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam | 40% | 2.5 | 0.1 | 1, 8, 4, 6, 13, 3, 10, 12 |
| Reading seminar 1 | 30% | 2.5 | 0.1 | 1, 8, 4, 5, 6, 13, 7, 11, 9, 3, 10, 12, 2 |
| Reading seminar 2 | 30% | 2.5 | 0.1 | 1, 4, 6, 13, 11, 9, 3, 10, 12 |
The course will have three continuous assessment tests that will allow to assess both active participation and critical understanding of the contents. These tests are:
Two reading seminars
In each seminar, students' participation and contributions will be assessed, as well as their prior preparation of the assigned readings. This evaluation will take into account the quality and depth of the contributions, the ability to relate the texts to the thematic axes of the course and the participation in the collective dialogue.
As part of each seminar you will be required to:
Preparing a philosophical question or issue to open the debate.
Active and well-argued participation during the discussion.
Short (written) reflections during the seminar, to fix and deepen the content.
Final exam
The exam will consist of a written test that will assess the students' ability to integrate and articulate the concepts, theories, texts and problems dealt with during the course.
Once each test has been evaluated, and the grade posted on the virtual campus, students who wish to do so may go to the teacher's office during office hours and ask for a revision.
If a student has missed any of the tests, he/she/they may sit the make-up test. However, in order to be able to take the make-up test, at least two of the three tests must have been taken.
If a student has not taken any of the tests, or has only taken one of the tests, he/she/they will be considered ‘not evaluable’.
The final mark will be the average mark of the three tests.
Students are asked to send an email only for urgent matters. All other doubts and problems will be solved during class and office hours. There will be no email tutorials.
If a student needs to communicate urgently with the teacher, please use the institutional email instead of the virtual campus.
This course does not have a single assessment system.
Erasmus students who request to take an exam earlier must present the instructor with a written document from their home university justifying their request.
Suppose a student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant change in the grade of an assessment activity. In that case, that activity will be graded with a 0, regardless of any disciplinary action that may be taken. If multiple irregularities occur in the assessment activities of the same course, the final grade for that course will be 0.
The Department of Philosophy may establish (as was done during the first semester) a designated period for concentrated assessment activities. Instructors will indicate whether such a period exists or communicate the dates of the assessments at the beginning of each course.
Use of AI
Model 2 - Restricted use: For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively in support tasks, such as bibliographic or information search, proofreading or translations. Students will have to clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity, as well as the link and all the corresponding prompts. Non-transparency of the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered academic dishonesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or higher penalties in serious cases.
Bibliography
Ahmed, Sara. La promesa de la felicidad. Buenos Aires: Caja Negra Editora, 2019.
bergman, carla. Montgomery, Nick. Militancia alegre. Tejer resistencias, florecer en tiempos tóxicos. Madrid: Traficantes de Sueños, 2023.
Care Collective. El manifiesto de los cuidados. Política de la interdependencia. Barcelona: Ediciones Bellaterra, 2021.
Colebrook, Claire. "The Politics and Potential of Everyday Life." New Literary History 33, no. 4 (October 2002): 687-706.
Crenshaw, Kimberlé. “Cartografiando los márgenes. Interseccionalidad, políticas identitarias y violencia contra las mujeres de color”. Originalmente publicado como: Crenshaw, Kimberlé W. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43 (6), pp. 1.241-1.299. Traducido por: Raquel (Lucas) Platero y Javier Sáez.
Esquirol, Josep Maria. Uno mismo y los otros. De las experiencias existenciales a la interculturalidad. Barcelona: Herder Editorial, 2005.
Fisher, Mark. Realismo capitalista: ¿no hay alternativa? Traducido por Tomás Cobos. Madrid: Caja Negra Editora, 2016.
Han, Byung-Chul. En el enjambre. Barcelona: Herder Editorial, 2014.
Haraway, Donna. El patriarcado del osito Teddy. Barcelona: Sans Soleil Ediciones, 2020.
López‑Petit, Santiago. “Más allá de la crítica de la vida cotidiana,” Revista de Filosofía, núm. 9–10 (2014–2015): 71–84.
Proyecto UNA. La viralitat del mal: Qui ha trencat internet, qui se’n beneficia i com l’arreglarem. Barcelona: Descontrol Editorial, 2024.
Puleo, Alicia H. Claves ecofeministas para rebeldes que aman a la Tierra y a los animales. Madrid: Plaza y Valdés Editores, 2019.
Software
No specific software required.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 2 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 2 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |