PP2GP1-Global Philosophy 1

Module Provider: Philosophy
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Miss Michela Bariselli
Email: michela.bariselli@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module introduces some key thinkers and issues in global philosophy, the philosophy of gender and race, the ethics of resistance and the epistemology of terrorism. Some of the claims we will examine include: Gender is an illusion, male and female ‘sex’ attributes are social constructions! ÌýRace categories are racist, they should be abolished! Persons are ‘processes’; self and identity are conceptual fictions! ÌýSelf-immolation is an ethical form of political protest! Gandhi and Islamist suicide bombing share an ethics of sacrificial dying! Debt is founded on violence! We should undertake dying with full awareness, by meditative fasting!

We will engage in philosophical conversations with (i) contemporary feminist and race theorists such as Judith Butler, Sally Haslanger and Naomi Zack on performativist,Ìý constructionist and essentialist approaches to gender and race; (ii) Buddhist philosophers on the metaphysics of self and identity; (iii) Buddhist, Gandhian and Islamic ethics of sacrificial dying and political resistance; (iv) interdisciplinary perspectives on the nature and origins of debt and money; (v) Jaina conceptions of meditative dying, suicide and euthanasia; (vi) the epistemology of terrorism and Islamic approaches to non-violence.

Aims:

This module encourages students to develop ways of doing philosophy that are both inclusive and cosmopolitan by reflecting on contemporary global issues from the philosophical perspective of a variety of cultures and religions, and diverse gender and racial groups. Students will examine current debates in global philosophy, cultivate skills in oral and written argument and develop a sense of how a conversation between different philosophical traditions is both possible and warranted, and how dialogical philosophical approaches can be developed to investigate problems and issues in multicultural societies in a globalized political economy.Ìý This module will build on the introduction of cross-cultural philosophical perspectives in PP1GJ and the introduction to feminist and other ‘radical’ philosophies in PP1RP.

Assessable learning outcomes:

Students will gain competency in the core concepts, theories, and methodologies of a range of cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary global issues.Ìý They will learn to engage in cross-cultural philosophical dialogue using and to apply the tools of philosophical approaches outside the contemporary ‘analytic’ tradition. They will learn to critically apply these to problems of global relevance. In doing so, students will learn skills of argumentation and presentation and come to acquire skills of research and enquiry by designing their seminar presentations, undertaking research for coursework essays, and learn to critically appraise what they learn. They will develop personal effectiveness and self-awareness by learning to communicate in one-to-one discussions, and in group discussions in seminars and lectures using a range of means (speaking, essay-writing, presenting and designing slides).Ìý Students will learn to reflect critically on their progress, their strengths and weaknesses, and the goals they wish to achieve.Ìý

Additional outcomes:

This module encourages students to approach social and civic responsibilities through values of inclusiveness and diversity by addressing the perspectives of different genders, races and cultures on a host of contemporary issues.Ìý It gives students an opportunity to enhance their multicultural awareness and intercultural competencies by considering cross-cultural approaches in the study of philosophy and applied philosophy.

Outline content:

Topics covered in the module include the following: (1) constructionist, performativist and phenomenological perspectives on gender and sex; (2) skeptic, naturalist and social constructionist approaches to race; (3) Buddhist perspectives on the construction of persons and the self; (4) the Buddhist ethics of self-immolation as political resistance; (5) self-sacrifice and the ethics of dying in Gandhi and contemporary Islamic movements; (6) the nature of debt a