Goals

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the philosophical process and abstract thinking. Students should be able to understand what a philosophical approach consists of, and to demonstrate their ability to distance themselves critically from all opinions and convictions, including their own. He/she must be able to ensure the overall coherence of an argument, demonstrate an ability to understand and confront complex reasoning other than his/her own, and demonstrate relative ease in the use of technical concepts. Using course notes, he or she will also have to confront the reading of a philosophical text.

 

 

Content

The course comprises a general introduction and two main parts. The general introduction sets out to answer the question "What is philosophy? It consists of a methodological presentation of philosophy, distinguishing it from other forms of discourse such as art, religion or science. It does not form part of the examination material. The two main parts are devoted to moral philosophy and political philosophy respectively.

Teaching methods

The course is given in the form of a lecture.
 The lectures are supplemented by practical work sessions (TP). Students can ask the teaching assistants any questions they may have on the subject. These sessions are compulsory. They enable students to prepare for the open-ended questions on the exam, and ensure that the theories covered in the lectures are put into practice. Students will be expected to play an active part in these practical exercises, particularly during the two debate sessions. These sessions will be assessed on 2 points each, valid for the June session only and not transferable to the second session. In the event of unjustified absence from one of these debate sessions, points cannot be acquired, even if the student attends a group other than the original one. Students absent for a justified reason (Medical Certificate) may attend a debating session other than that of their original group in order to be assessed, provided they give prior notice to the assistants concerned. If the Medical Certificate covers all the debate session dates and the student cannot therefore be assessed in the practical session, the student will be exempted and only the written exam will be taken into account in calculating the grade. A student who is absent, even if unjustifiably, from one or both of these debating sessions may nevertheless sit the written examination.


 

Assessment method

The written exam will be closed-book. In the first session, it will comprise a summary question (5 points), an application question based on a text (6 points) and a multiple-choice questionnaire (5 points). The summary question will be taken from the standard questions in the syllabus. For students taking only the moral philosophy section, the application question may be replaced by a second synthesis question from the syllabus. In the second session, the assessment will also be a written exam, with an additional synthesis question. It will be based exclusively on the material covered in the lecture, with no carry-over of points acquired in the practical exercises in the first session.
 In the first session, the student's final grade is calculated as follows: practical marks (4 points) + written exam mark (16 points) = final grade (20 points). In the second session, the student's final grade is calculated as follows: written exam grade (20 points) = final grade (20 points). Assessments focus on students' ability to understand abstract reasoning and to reproduce it coherently. The formal quality of answers and the precision with which concepts are used are decisive in this respect. Students' ability to relate philosophical theories to current social debates will also be assessed.



 

Sources, references and any support material

Useful documents, including the syllabus and recordings, will be posted on Webcampus as they become available.

 

Language of instruction

French