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Theoretical Philosophy Seminar

Code: 100298 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Philosophy OT 3
Philosophy OT 4

Contact

Name:
Jesus Adrian Escudero
Email:
jesus.adrian@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no specific prerequisites, although a good reading comprehension in English is recommended.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The objectives consist of introducing students to the historical development and main ideas of care ethics from antiquity to the contemporary era.


Competences

    Philosophy
  • Analysing and summarising the main arguments of fundamental texts of philosophy in its various disciplines.
  • Identifying the main philosophical attitudes in the field of aesthetics and critically applying them in the art world.
  • 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.
  • Using the symbology and procedures of the formal sciences in the analysis and building of arguments.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Accurately using the specific lexicon of science history.
  2. Analysing and summarising information.
  3. Analysing historical cases about scientific facts.
  4. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  5. Carrying out oral presentations using an appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
  6. Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
  7. Correctly drawing up a previously analysed non-regulatory text.
  8. Demonstrating a personal stance over a problem or controversy of philosophical nature, or a work of philosophical research.
  9. Distinguishing and analysing classical and current debates of the History of Art.
  10. Distinguishing and analysing representative texts of the main genres of the philosophical literature.
  11. Documenting a philosophical issue and contrasting its sources.
  12. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  13. Explaining the specific notions of the History of Philosophy.
  14. Judging the moral impact of new technological developments on humans.
  15. Producing an individual work that specifies the work plan and timing of activities.
  16. Recognise and define the common thinking present in a multidisciplinary context.
  17. Recognising and using the several forms of reasoning in the history of philosophy.
  18. Reflecting on their own work and the immediate environment's in order to continuously improve it.
  19. Relating elements and factors involved in the development of scientific processes.
  20. Relating several ideas of the current philosophical debates.
  21. Relating the various orders of the philosophical ideas of different authors and historical moments.
  22. Summarising the topics and arguments exposed in a classical philosophical debate.
  23. Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.

Content

  1. Philosophy as a way of life
  2. The classical tradition of care: Socrates, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius
  3. Martin Heidegger and the ontology of care
  4. Michel Foucault and the ethics of self-care
  5. Martha Nussbaum and the therapy of desire
  6. Peter Sloterdijk and anthropotechnics
  7. Joan Tronto and contemporary care ethics

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Theoretical classes 50 2 13, 19
Type: Supervised      
Class discussions 22.5 0.9 2, 10, 11, 12, 6, 5, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 1
Type: Autonomous      
Autonomous work and writing philosophical assignments 70 2.8 4, 11, 15, 12, 6, 23, 7, 19, 22

The course methodology will based strictly on continuous and joint assessment of the subject:

1) Students will undertake comprehensive readings of seminal texts on topics related to the subject as preparation for participation in formal discussion sessions. These texts will be made available to students via the virtual campus one week before the joint discussion class.

2) The teacher will provide theoretical explanations about key points of the subject syllabus.

3) Under the teacher's supervision, the students will choose one topic from the syllabus and give a group oral presentation about it.

 

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
Partial test exams (x2) 50% (25%+25%) 3.5 0.14 3, 2, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 21, 19, 22
Writing a thinking assignment (x1) and oral presentation (x1) 50% (25%+25%) 4 0.16 3, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 15, 13, 12, 6, 5, 23, 14, 17, 7, 18, 20, 21, 19, 22, 1

- The assessment process comprises three activities spread across the year: Exam (50%), Essay (425%), Oral presentation (25%).

- The virtual campus will be used to prepare the readings discussed in class.

- Prior to each assessment, the teacher will inform students (via Moodle to create an official record) of the results review procedure and date.

- Students who do not obtain the average pass grade for the subject will have to resit the exam, otherwise they will fail the subject. To be able to resit the exam, students must have already undertaken assessments equivalent to a weight of at least two thirds of the overall grade, and they must have obtained a minimum average grade of 3.5 for the subject.

- Not Assessable: Students who do not undertake any of the assessments will obtain a "Not Assessable".

- 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.

- 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.

 

This subject/module does not incorporate single assessment.

 

Use of AI

This subject allows the use of AI technologies exclusively for support tasks such as

[***bibliographic or content-based searches, text correction or translations, where applicable].

In the case of subjects in a Modern Languages degree, use of translation must be specifically authorised by the teacher. Other specific situations may be contemplated, as deemed appropriate by the teacher.

The student must clearly (i) identify which parts have been generated using AI technology; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and final outcome of the activity.

Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in the assessed activity will be considered academicdishonesty; the corresponding grade may be lowered, or the work may even be awarded a zero.

In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.

 

Grading information

The Department of Philosophy agreed that the first-semester students would have two periods dedicated to assessment activities and one week during which students could specifically prepare for the exams, in the format that each instructor will specify at the beginning of the course. The dates for the review week and the assessment periods are:

  • October 27 – October 31: review or tutorial week
  • November 3 – November 7: assessment week
  • January 8, 9, 12, 13, 14: assessment week

 


Bibliography

Basic readings

  • Foucault, M. (2011). El gobierno de sí y de los otros. Madrid: Akal.
  • Foucault, M. (2012). El nacimiento de la biopolítica.Madrid: Akal.
  • Foucault, M. (2015). Tecnologías del yo.Barcelona: Paidós.
  • Hadot, P. (2009). La filosofía como forma de vida. Barcelona: Alpha Decay.
  • Heidegger, M. (1994). “La cosa”. En Conferencias y artículos. Barcelona: El Serbal.
  • Heidegger, M. (2004). ¿Qué es la filosofía? Barcelona: Herder.
  • Heidegger, M. (2016). Construir, Habitar, Pensar. Barcelona: La Oficina.
  • Heidegger, M. (2021). La pregunta por la técnica.Barcelona: Herder.
  • Marco Aurelio (2009). Meditaciones. Madrid: Gredos.
  • Nussbaum, M. (2003). La terapia del deseo.  Teoría y práctica de la ética helenística. Paidós: Barcelona.
  • Sloterdijk, P. (2013). Has de cambiar la vida. Valencia: Pretextos.

 

At the start of each thematic block, a specific secondary bibliography and a list of digital resources will be provided.


Software

No computer program is used in this subject

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
(SEM) Seminars 1 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed