The course of Didactics of Philosophy is part of the program in Philosophical Sciences (MA level) and is included among the complementary training activities. This course aims:
• to critically investigat e the didactic-cultural relevance and impact of philosophy teaching as well as the specific role played by the teacher in schools and in the interaction between schools, universities, the working world and civil society to promote skills of global citizenship and critical thinking (problem rising, posing and solving);
• to provide a critical analysis of the main methodologies developed in the research in didactics of philosophy, of the conceptual, epistemological and didactic knots of teaching and learning according to the development of semiotic skills as well as of the widening of expressive and cognitive potential in the specific disciplinary field;
• to stimulate the development of activities for teaching philosophy, keeping in mind the need to strengthen language and consolidate the linguistic practices necessary to achieve the goals of training and education in the discipline of interest;
• to analyze the potential offered by an interdisciplinary teaching of philosophy capable of being in constant dialogue with other forms of knowledge: philosophy and science, philosophy and art, philosophy and history, philosophy and public discussion;
• to consider the synergies generated by the wise use of technological and multimedia tools as well as by the use of cinematographic and digital products as a support to traditional teaching and theoretical-critical analysis of the classics of Western philosophy;
• to reflect on the potential and criticality of the use of technological tools for teaching and learning philosophy at the time of Digital Humanities (retrieval of sources and bibliography, construction of a philosophical lexicon, semantic enrichment and e-learning);
• to illustrate principles and methodologies for the construction of a philosophical curriculum able to stimulate and strengthen critical thinking, the ability to argue, competences of active and democratic citizenship and sensitivity to understand the complexity of the human being in an increasingly multicultural society (valorisation of intercultural education, respect for differences, inclusive openness to disabilities).
• to critically investigat e the didactic-cultural relevance and impact of philosophy teaching as well as the specific role played by the teacher in schools and in the interaction between schools, universities, the working world and civil society to promote skills of global citizenship and critical thinking (problem rising, posing and solving);
• to provide a critical analysis of the main methodologies developed in the research in didactics of philosophy, of the conceptual, epistemological and didactic knots of teaching and learning according to the development of semiotic skills as well as of the widening of expressive and cognitive potential in the specific disciplinary field;
• to stimulate the development of activities for teaching philosophy, keeping in mind the need to strengthen language and consolidate the linguistic practices necessary to achieve the goals of training and education in the discipline of interest;
• to analyze the potential offered by an interdisciplinary teaching of philosophy capable of being in constant dialogue with other forms of knowledge: philosophy and science, philosophy and art, philosophy and history, philosophy and public discussion;
• to consider the synergies generated by the wise use of technological and multimedia tools as well as by the use of cinematographic and digital products as a support to traditional teaching and theoretical-critical analysis of the classics of Western philosophy;
• to reflect on the potential and criticality of the use of technological tools for teaching and learning philosophy at the time of Digital Humanities (retrieval of sources and bibliography, construction of a philosophical lexicon, semantic enrichment and e-learning);
• to illustrate principles and methodologies for the construction of a philosophical curriculum able to stimulate and strengthen critical thinking, the ability to argue, competences of active and democratic citizenship and sensitivity to understand the complexity of the human being in an increasingly multicultural society (valorisation of intercultural education, respect for differences, inclusive openness to disabilities).
teacher profile teaching materials
The course offers an overview of key theoretical approaches to philosophy education, presenting widely used teaching methodologies. The program is structured along three main axes:
Regulations – Examination of major educational reforms (Berlinguer, Moratti, Gelmini), teacher training paths, and the MIUR document Guidelines for Learning Philosophy.
Methodologies – Analysis of teaching practices (lectures, teaching units, discussion groups), assessment strategies, and interdisciplinary links with history, literature, the humanities, and both historical and analytical approaches.
Canon – Critical reflection on the traditional philosophical canon and exploration of ways to broaden it by including female philosophers, non-Western thinkers, and marginalized philosophical traditions.
- B.F. Welch Art of Teaching Philosophy: Reflective Values and Concrete Practices, 2024, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.
- M. Nussbaum, Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities, Princeton University Press, 2010 (selected parts)
- S. Tyson, Where Are the Women? How Expanding the Canon Makes Philosophy Better, Sarah Tyson. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018 (selected parts)
- Gordon LR. What Does It Mean to Colonise and Decolonise Philosophy? Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement. 2023, 93, pp. 117-135.
Programme
Course Objectives and Content:The course offers an overview of key theoretical approaches to philosophy education, presenting widely used teaching methodologies. The program is structured along three main axes:
Regulations – Examination of major educational reforms (Berlinguer, Moratti, Gelmini), teacher training paths, and the MIUR document Guidelines for Learning Philosophy.
Methodologies – Analysis of teaching practices (lectures, teaching units, discussion groups), assessment strategies, and interdisciplinary links with history, literature, the humanities, and both historical and analytical approaches.
Canon – Critical reflection on the traditional philosophical canon and exploration of ways to broaden it by including female philosophers, non-Western thinkers, and marginalized philosophical traditions.
Core Documentation
FOR ERASMUS STUDENTS:- B.F. Welch Art of Teaching Philosophy: Reflective Values and Concrete Practices, 2024, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.
- M. Nussbaum, Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities, Princeton University Press, 2010 (selected parts)
- S. Tyson, Where Are the Women? How Expanding the Canon Makes Philosophy Better, Sarah Tyson. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018 (selected parts)
- Gordon LR. What Does It Mean to Colonise and Decolonise Philosophy? Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement. 2023, 93, pp. 117-135.
Attendance
Class attendance is not compulsory, yet it is strongly recommendedType of evaluation
An oral exam is scheduled at the end of the course.