ACADEMIC ENGLISH FOR PHILOSOPHY

Prof. Lorenzo Rustìghi  (  lorenzo.rustighi@unipd.it  )

Le lezioni del primo semestre si terranno in Aula AIS2 di Palazzo del Capitanio dalle 12.30 alle 14.30

a partire da lunedì 23 ottobre 2023

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Syllabus

Objectives:
The objective of this class is to introduce students enrolled in both the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Philosophy and the Master’s Degree Program in Philosophical Sciences to the correct use of philosophical English for academic purposes. The class will provide students with the following skills and abilities: knowledge of the basic philosophical vocabulary; basic knowledge of academic writing styles; ability to conduct bibliographic research and manage bibliographic references; ability to select and prioritize sources in philosophical research; ability to understand, summarize and paraphrase philosophical texts in English; basic ability to write well-argued philosophical papers in English and submit them to academic journals; ability to write a philosophical academic project; ability to write CVs, research statements, and cover letters for academic jobs in philosophy; ability to speak in public and give philosophical talks at seminars and conferences.

Methodology:
The class will consist of both frontal instruction and alternative instruction. Students will be actively involved in listening, speaking, reading, and writing exercises and will be requested to do a small amount of homework in order to train specific skills. Different teaching materials (audio-visual and textual) will be used in class as well as shared through the Moodle platform.

Contents:
Introduction
1. General introduction to Academic English (e.g. usage of the Chicago Manual of Style and the Oxford Guide to Style) (2 hours)
2. Philosophical language and vocabulary in the English-speaking academic community (2 hours)
- Common expressions, styles and formulas in philosophical academic writing
- Philosophical keywords and concepts
- How to use English translations of non-English philosophical texts

Reading
1. Reading a philosophical academic text in English (10 hours)

2

- Abstract
- Skimming and scanning
- Identifying argumentative strategies
- Isolating, summarizing, and paraphrasing main arguments
- Interpreting meaning from context
- Taking notes
- Efficiently use references
- Citation

Writing
1. Writing and submitting a philosophical academic paper in English (10 hours) 2 settimane
- How to identify the right journal for a paper
- How to choose keywords
- How to write a convincing abstract
- Structure (introduction, presentation of the problem and aims, engagement with related scholarly field, main argument, conclusions)
- Clarity of argument
- Strategies of philosophical argumentation
- Citation styles (e.g. APA, Chicago, IEEE)
- Citation management (e.g. Endnote, Zotero, Mendeley)
- Notes
- References
- Submission process
- Response to reviewers
2. Writing a philosophical review (2 hours)
3. How to draft an academic project in philosophy (10 hours) 2 settimane
- Acronyms
- Keywords
- Abstracts
- Track records
- Objectives, methodologies, impact, expected results, outcomes and outputs
- Teamwork
- Timelines, work packages, and milestones
4. Academic writing for professional purposes (2 hours) 1 settimana
- CV
- Research statement
- Cover letter
- Academic emails

3

Speaking and listening
1. How to present a philosophical paper in public (10 hours)
- Identifying the right conference/seminar/workshop
- How to organize a philosophical talk (introduction, objectives, arguments, length)
- Handout preparation
- PowerPoint presentations
- Ask/answer questions efficiently
2. How to handle an academic job interview in philosophy (2 hours)

Recommend readings:
- Giampieri, Patrizia. 2017. Academic English. Torino: UTET
- Holowchak, Andrew M. 2011. Critical Reasoning and Philosophy: A Concise Guide to Reading, Evaluating, and Writing Philosophical Works. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield
- Lester, James D. 2014. Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide. London: Pearson
- Martinich, A.P. 2015. Philosophical Writing: An Introduction. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell
- McCarthy, Michael - O’Dell, Felicity. 2008. Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Seech, Zachary. 2009. Writing Philosophy Papers. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning
- Vaughn, Lewis. 2018. Writing Philosophy. A Student's Guide to Reading and Writing Philosophy Essays. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Last modified: Thursday, 19 October 2023, 11:10 AM