Fachbereich 7

Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft


Navigation und Suche der Universität Osnabrück


Hauptinhalt

Topinformationen

Professional Writing and Discussions: The Language of Philosophy and Ethics


DozentIn: Andrew Jones, B.A., M.Phil.

Veranstaltungstyp: Seminar

Ort: 41/E07

Zeiten: Do. 12:00 - 14:00 (wöchentlich)

Beschreibung: Professional Writing and Discussions courses are advanced language courses designed for B.A. students who are in or have completed their 5th semester of studies and for M.A. students. . Under the guidance of their course instructors, the course participants will undertake a more active and independent development of their language skills by applying them to a specific topic area. They will continue to train their productive and receptive language skills, further expand their lexico-grammatical knowledge in connection with the specialist language used in the course, and acquire supplementary cultural knowledge on English-speaking countries. Ultimately, the central aim of these courses, whatever topic area and skills focus you choose, is to facilitate students' transition into self-sufficient and proficient users of the English language. If you elect to take this course, you will be expected to attend class regularly and contribute actively and intelligently. Furthermore, you will need to complete a portfolio of written and/or oral tasks during the course of the semester.

In this particular course, we will engage with questions of philosophy and morality. We will firstly define philosophy and explore questions of knowledge, existence, minds, attitudes, emotions, testimony and belief. We will familiarise ourselves with the works both of well-known and of modern philosophers, examining the relationship philosophy has with language and with science, as well as the question of whether time travel is really possible. Our greater focus, however, will be on moral and ethical philosophy, addressing questions of justice, altruism, consumption, different types of power, the environment, markets, technology, and the connections these have to different areas of life. A few example questions we might explore include: Should moral luck affect the way we judge others? How much evidence should we demand before accepting something as truth, and does this depend on the circumstances in which evidence is (or is not) being offered? Can we be the architects of our own happiness? Should all sentient beings be accorded the same moral status? Is there always a right thing to do? These questions may well be transferred onto everyday life, our co-existence in societies and as earth-dwellers, and examples from popular culture (e.g. The Simpsons, House M.D., Game of Thrones).

Up to twelve spots in the course can be allocated in advance to students who come to my office hour and confirm that they are prepared to commit to taking the course and have identified philosophers whose work they would like to analyse during the course or ethical questions that they would like to make a contribution to discussing. Please note that the Stud.IP registration procedure is not binding and that the remaining spots in the course will be allocated during the first class session.


zur Veranstaltung in Stud.IP