COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO PROGRAM
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character -that is the goal of true education" Martin Luther King, Jr.
The course we have prepared for you consists of two parts: the first one goes from October to December. In it you will be introduced to a new way of relating to one another based on how ancient Greek philosopher Socrates lived and taught: Socratic Dialogue. The second part of the course will start in January and end in June; in it we will turn to classical writings to help us further think about ourselves and the world we inhabit.
With this course we want to create a space for slow, respectful and insightful reflection, meaningful conversation, and a profound understanding of one another. We want to provide you with the tools and the time to ponder about the complexities of what makes us human- after all, as Socrates reminds us, an unexamined life is not worth living. Welcome!
Part 1- Learning the Method (Oct. - Dec.):
When we stick to prejudices and ideas that do not allow us to have a complex understanding of the world around us, the result is that we do not make the best decisions. Using the Socratic Dialogue methodology we will discuss some of the most important issues that appeal to us all. Each one of the 10 sessions will revolve around a specific topic which you will have explored beforehand.
By looking at what the most important thinkers have said about those matters we will work on improving our ways of thinking, in order to better understand ourselves, refine our thoughts, and appreciate the diversity of opinions that surround them. These exercises will help us improve our capacity to make decisions in complex environments, and thus become better managers and citizens.
Part 2- Impact Talks (Jan. - June):
During this second part of the course, the sessions will consist of a lecture from a guest speaker and a shorter session of Socratic Dialogue afterwards to gather and further develop our learnings. The objectives will be:
1. Reflect about the big issues of our time.
2. Read classical texts to study them and put them in dialogue with the current and future challenges we face.
3. Read the classics we propose to help us better understand the other courses of the BA, the topics of Socratic Dialogue and other relevant issues of today.
4. Create a space to examine the group dynamics developing and allow the time for any other personal worries or concerns you might have.
Course Learning Objectives
The course objectives are:
- Understand the main tools of Socratic Dialogue and be able to implement them both inside and outside the classroom. Identify the main challenges and strengths you face both as a facilitator and a participant of Socratic Dialogue.
- Understand the situations and topics in which Socratic Dialogue is an appropriate tool and why. Be courageous to have difficult conversations.
- Broaden your scope of reflection with the help of classical philosophical and literary texts. Get comfortable with complexity and with the interaction of different areas of knowledge to produce rigorous analysis of today's challenges.
- Get used to reading philosophical, sometimes laborious texts that will require time and effort. Persevere in the face of intellectual challenges.
Socratic Dialogue will challenge each one of you for different reasons; thus, the main takeaways will be unique for everyone. Learning to dialogue is a process that requires patience and determinantion.
CONTENT
1. Introduction to the course In the first session of the course we will do an introduction to the methodology that Socrates created and that will be used along the course: Socratic Dialogue.
This methodology will allow us to be more aware of our own prejudices and contradictions in order to better elaborate our thoughts.
The main question of the session will be:
- Who am I? -following Socrates' exhortation: 'Know thyself'.
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2. Our metaphors French writer and poet Anaïn Nin used to say we construct meaning through metaphors. We will lean on her work to get to know each other better. |
3. Happiness This session will be based on Aristotle. His work will help us guide the discussion about another fundamental topic: happiness.
The main question we will try to answer is the following:
- What is happiness for me?
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4. Fear In the fourth session we will approach two of the main hellenistic schools of thought: epicureanism and stoicism. Its philosophy will help us solve one of the main problems of the human being: fear.
The two main questions we will try to answer are the following:
- How does fear condition my decisions?
- How can I overcome my fears?
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5. On a different note This session will be different, we will disclose the topic and dynamic on the same day.
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6. Trust After the dialogue around fear, we will talk about a concept that is directly linked to it: trust.
The two main questions that philosphy will help us answer are:
- What is trust? Where does it come from?
- Why is it important? Where do trust issues come from?
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7. Conflict In this session, trying to trust each other with our responses, we will approach the sensitive topic of conflict.
We will approach the following questions:
-What is conflict for you?
-Is it possible to live without conflict?
-Is conflict always bad?
-Do you ever struggle with conflict?
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8. Freedom In this session we will dailogue about another central topic of our existance and one of the main topics philoosphy has wrestled with throughout history: freedom.
We are told to be free. But,
-Do we feel so?
-To what extent are we free?
-What is freedom?
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9. Success In this session we will question what are our prejudices around the concept of success.
- What does being successful mean to me?
- Is it what society tells me?
- What would I be willing to give up for it
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10. Meaning of life In this final session we will turn to the work of Austrian psychiatrist and philosopher Viktor Frankl to reflect on what a meaningful life might look like:
- How and where do you look for "meaning" in life? Why?
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11. Circular Economy |
12. Circular Design |
13. Sustainable Agriculture |
14. Book: Walden |
15. Fair Trade |
16. Loss of biodiversity and the sixth mass extinction |
17. Losing earth |
18. Book: Brave New World |
19. Movie: 1984 |
20. Democracy, participation and deliberation |
21. Book: Antigone |
22. Freedom: ancient and modern, positive and negative freedom, types of liberalism |
23. Society understood as a contract |
24. Book: The Island |
Methodology
To achieve these objectives the format of the course will be the following:
Part 1- Learning the Method:
Each week we will have a Socratic Dialogue in class around a different topic. As the course progresses you will learn how to facilitate and eventually partially lead the sessions yourselves. To prepare for class you will be required to do the following every week:
1. Read articles, book fragments and/or watch videos related to the week's topic. The material will be available on the course's Moodle page.
2. Write a post on Moodle based on the readings and videos of the week.
3. Have a Socratic Dialogue with someone from your environment. We will provide all the details once the course starts. After every dialogue, write your thoughts on the method in a journal. We will ask you to hand in the journal at the end of the course.
4. Keep a class diary and write an entry after every session. We ask you to record how you are feeling, what you are finding challenging or surprising, new learnings, questions that make you think, irritate you, make you feel uncomfortable, ideas that surprise you, shock you etc. This diary will help you write the final essay.
The weekly preparations will help you come to class having mulled over and explored some of the nuances of the topic at hand. This will bring richness and depth to our dialogues.
We will also ask you to hand in two final deliveries. You will be able to work on them during the Christmas break and hand them in at the end of January (final date TBD):
1- A Final Essay: The final essay will focus on the content of the course (what we learn).
It will answer the following questions: What have I learned? How can I incorporate the philosophical theories that we have discussed into my life? And into a potential work environment? How do they relate to the other courses of the BA?
The diary you will keep throughout the sessions will help you write this final essay. Extension: 4.000 words approx.
2-A "Playing Socrates? report: We will ask you to keep a journal of the dialogues you do outside the class and write a reflection after each one. You should record and reflect about the dialogue in terms of methodology (how we learn).
This includes the pace of the dialogue, the tone, the dynamics between the participants etc.
The expected workload outside the classroom will be:
- 4 hours weekly (40 hours total).
- 20 hours after the course finishes for the two final deliveries.
Part 2 - Impact Talks
The structure of the second part of the course will be divided in 2 parts.
- During the first 7 sessions, you will have an Impact Talk by a guest speaker about the topic of Sustainability. At the end of the first 7 sessions, you will have an exam on the content of those sessions. After every Impact Talk and Socratic Dialogue session, you will be asked to answer a question on the Forum on Moodle about the content we have discussed.
- From the 8th session on, you will have an Impact Talk by a guest speaker on Political Philosophy. At the end of the second 7 sessions, you will have an exam on the content of those sessions. After every Impact Talk and Socratic Dialogue session, you will be asked to answer a question on the Forum on Moodle about the content we have discussed.
*Attendance to all Impact Talks and Socratic Dialogues is mandatory.
In preparation for each class, you will be required to do the following:
1) Read the pre-class material. At the end of the first 7 sessions, and at the end of session 14, you will have an exam on the content of the previous 7 sessions.
2) After every class, write a post on the Forum on Moodle answering the question proposed based on the preparation materials, the Impact Talk and the following Socratic Dialogue.
3) Keep a class diary and write an entry after every weekly session. We ask you to record how you are feeling, what you are finding challenging or surprising, new learnings, questions that make you think, irritate you, make you feel uncomfortable, ideas that surprise you, shock you etc. This diary will help you write the final essay.
The expected workload outside the classroom will be:
- 3,5 hours weekly (30 hours total).
- 12 hours after the course finishes for the final deliveries.
