Philosophical Writing Practice Seminar

Basic studies of philosophy of values and world views, or of philosophy

In the course, the student becomes familiar with philosophical writing and argumentation, methods for philosophical research and preparation of a scientific presentation, skills in exploratory academic philosophical discussion and independent use and critical evaluation of source literature. The goal is for the student to master the search and analysis of relevant material and questions and to be able to independently prepare exam-style texts. At the beginning of the seminar, the student completes a method exam, gets to know the use of philosophical databases and learns how to search for necessary source literature.

Target group

The course is intended for minor philosophy students and students of philosophy of values and world views. Philosophy majors complete proseminars.

Implementation

Active participation in seminar work during two periods 1.–2. or 3.–4. Each participant prepares a presentation (10–15 pages), acts as a commentator once and actively participates in the sessions.

Contents

Each participant prepares a presentation (10–15 pages), actively participates in the sessions and acts as a commentator. When coming to the seminar, the student must have the preliminary topic of the presentation selected. You can get help choosing a topic from the seminar leader. The work is delivered to everyone to read no later than a week before the work is discussed at the session.

The first session of the seminar serves as an organization opportunity and is mandatory for all participants. The registration will be canceled if the student does not participate in this or does not notify the supervisors of their absence.

In the initial sessions, the schedule of the works to be presented is decided and the student learns to find the necessary source literature. A draft of the preliminary topic is presented to the leader of the seminar a couple of weeks after the start. The actual presentations and discussion take place in the last period of the semester (2 or 4). The leader of the seminar acts as the supervisor of the written work. The leader can also direct the student to ask for additional advice from another teacher of the program. If desired, the author can make corrections to his essay based on the comments given for one more week after the last session.

Evaluation methods and criteria

General scale. In the evaluation, attention is paid to the student's activity, the overall presentation of the presentation, the formulation of questions, the delineation of the topic, the mastery and application of concepts, the use of philosophical literature and sources, conclusions and argumentation, the way of presentation and written expression and commenting.