The course aims to provide an overview of the fundamental philosophical topics and debates in the Middle Age from the 6th century to John Duns Scotus. The topics addressed during the course will involve different areas of medieval philosophy, such as metaphysics, ethics, philosophical logic, philosophy of knowledge and philosophical anthropology. The main philosophical and theological traditions (Latin, Arabic and Hebrew) of the Western medieval thought will be deepened.

The student will acquire the knowledge and skills to be able to critically move along the time span from the 6th to the 14th century. In this regard, the first bases will also be provided for an adequate approach to medieval texts and the variety of literary genres of the time span addressed. 

After a brief introduction to medieval philosophy these topic will be addressed:

(1) Augustine and Boethius;

(2) Anselm of Canterbury;

(3) The Schools of the Twelfth Century (School of Chartres and School of Saint Victor);

(4) The Arabic tradition (Avicenna and Averroes);

(5) Philosophy and Theology in the 13th century (the rise of the Universities, mendicant orders);

(6) Thomas Aquinas;

(7) An overview of late thirteenth- and early fourteenth-century accounts of cognition.

Prerequisites are not required.

Knowledge and understanding
- The student will be able to understand and explain a medieval texts, to argue rigorously and to discuss the issues that have been deepened during the course.

Applying knowledge and understanding

The student will be able to master the essential theoretical and lexical tools in order to gain the ability to autonomously read and interpret a philosophical text of the Middle Ages;

Making judgments
- The student will demonstrate independent judgment in the assessment of medieval debates and topics studied and he/she will be able to produce a personal reworking of the acquired knowledge.

Learning skills
The student will be able to master the knowledge and skills he/she has acquired.

 Communication skills

The student will be provided with the necessary skills in order to present to an audience, even not a specialized one, the core issues of a medieval philosophical text, by focusing in particular on the historical context, on the lexical and argumentative issues within a given philosophical tradition

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

A student will be considered as an attending student only if he/she attends 75% of lectures (namely, 37h out of 36h). Lectures.

The final exam will consist of an oral test.

Attendance

The course does not require a mandatory attendance.

Course books

Texts:

L. Valente, Filosofie del medioevo. Essere, felicità, linguaggio (con la collaborazione di M. Lenzi), Le Monnier, Milano 2023.

Antology of texts: M. Bettetini, L. Bianchi, C. Marmo, P. Porro, Filosofia medievale, con la collaborazione di F. Paparella. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore, 2004.

Other texts will be indicated and uploaded on Moodle during the course.

Assessment

Students' knowledge of topics covered during the course will be subject to an evaluation.

A particular attention will be paid to the ability of explaining philosophical theories and reconstruct philosophical debates using the appropriate lexicon.

The capacity of understanding and analyzing texts taken from the antology commented during the course.

Students will be expected to develop a critical approach with respect to philosophical doctrines addressed during the course. 

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Non-attending students should contact the teacher by mail (francesco.binotto@uniurb.it) for further explanations about the program.

Attendance

A student will be considered as a non-attending student if he/she attends less that 75% of lectures (namely, less than 27h sout of 36h). It is mandatory to contact the teacher by mail at least two months in advance of the scheduled date of the exam.

Course books

Texts:

L. Valente, Filosofie del medioevo. Essere, felicità, linguaggio (con la collaborazione di M. Lenzi), Le Monnier, Milano 2023. 

Anthology of texts: M. BETTETINI, L. BIANCHI, C. MARMO, P. PORRO, Filosofia medievale, con la collaborazione di F. Paparella. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore, 2004.

Other texts will be uploaded on Moodle during the course.

Assessment

Students' knowledge of topics covered during the course will be subject to an evaluation.

A particular attention will be paid to the ability of explaining philosophical theories and reconstruct philosophical debates using the appropriate lexicon.

The capacity of understanding and analyzing texts taken from the antology commented during the course.

Students will be expected to develop a critical approach with respect to philosophical doctrines addressed during the course.

 The final exam fon non-attending students will consist of an oral test.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.