Research Methods in Philosophy II

Code:

MFIL047

Acronym:

MIF_II

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Philosophy

Instance: 2021/2022 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Philosophy
Course/CS Responsible:	Masters in Philosophy

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MFIL	18	MFIL - Study Plan	1	-	3	30	81

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

The CU continues the work initiated in Methodology of Research in PhiIosophy I, going through the stages of a particular research plan (planning, researching, writing, revising, delivering or presenting, discussing). The student will become familiar with methodological resources for presenting research and his/her own thinking in a consistent, grounded and rigorous way. The student will be confronted with practical situations, preparing him/herself for writing articles, reviews, monographs, dissertations, etc, from responding to a “Call for papers”, to the effective use of text programs, to the presentation of works following the structure and norms of professional scientific publications.

The CU is related to work pursued by the student in all the CUs and with his/her dissertation. Besides practical supervised work, the student should integrate rigorous procedures in the preparation, writing and presentation of his/her works and projects underway within the programme.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the CU, students should:

1. be able to plan research in Philosophy;
2. be able to define which methodologies to adopt, depending on topics chosen and on the aim of research;
3. know how to prepare proposals of written work (presentations, articles, dissertation project) and to pursue the related research;
4. be able to write clearly, using the tools of philosophical work: concepts and arguments;
5. be able to work with different types of norms for written works and for work presentations;
6. have both practical and theoretical training in philosophical writing, so has to be able to convey the research pursued and to highlight the original ideas of his/her own work.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Not applicable

Program

Part I

1. How to write a Philosophy dissertation or paper

• How to choose the topic.
• How to select, read and criticize the literature.
• How to structure the work: making good arguments.
• Finalize a dissertation or paper.

2. How to defend and discuss one's work

• How to prepare an oral presentation.
• How to present one's work.
• Hot to discuss one's work.

Parte II

3. Philosophy's method(s)

• The nature of philosophical questions.
• Methods and traditions: (a) Analytic Philosophy and conceptual analysis; (b) Phenomenology and Existentialism; (c) Hermeneutics; (d) Pragmatism.
• Problems of Philosophical Historiography.

Mandatory literature

Pryor, J.; Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper
Martinich A. P.; Philosophical writing. ISBN: 0-631-20281-1
Peter Suber; Taking notes on philosophical texts
G. D'Oro e S. Overgaard (org.); The Cambridge Companion to Philosophical Methodology

Complementary Bibliography

Perry, J. ; The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging and Postponing, New York: Workman Publ., 2001
Weston, A; A arte de argumentar, Lisboa, Gradiva, 1996
Harvey, G.; Writing with Sources: A Guide for Students, Indianopolis, Hackett, 1998
Baggini Julian; The^philosopher.s toolkit. ISBN: 0-631-22874-8

Comments from the literature

More relevant literature to be indicated during the seminar.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Sessions will mostly be devoted to practical problems the student is typically confronted with in his/her research (different research methodologies; precision in use of sources and in comparing different positions; writing clearly; oral presentation and discussion; complying with deadlines).

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	20,00
Trabalho escrito	80,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Frequência das aulas	30,00
Trabalho de investigação	51,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance (75% of the classes).

Calculation formula of final grade

Grading will be based on:

• a paper assignment (80%);


• participation in the class (20%).

Examinations or Special Assignments

n/a

Internship work/project

n/a

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

According to FLUP rules.

Classification improvement

The paper assignment (80%) is subject to grade improvement.