Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Human Thought 1
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
If the student is enrolled for the English track then classes for that subject will be taught in the same language.
Teaching staff
On Monday from 12.00 to 13.00. Please ask for an appointment by e-mail.
Introduction
This module is based on the following premise: in order to address the main challenges and problems of our society, technical training should be supported by in-depth understanding of human condition. The aim of this course is to reflect on what it means to be human in our social and cultural context. The current crisis of the social and economic capitalist system and the welfare state makes this kind of training increasingly relevant and especially necessary for those who will be making decisions concerning other people in the future.
Pre-course requirements
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Objectives
The aim of this course is to reflect on the human condition from philosophical, sociological and psychological perspectives.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 33 - To be able to search for, interpret and convey information.
- 50 - To acquire the ability to relate concepts, analyse and synthesise.
- 52 - To develop interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team.
- 53 - To acquire the skills necessary to learn autonomously.
- 54 - To be able to express one’s ideas and formulate arguments in a logical and coherent way, both verbally and in writing.
- 56 - To be able to create arguments which are conducive to critical and self-critical thinking.
- 57 - To acquire skills which favour reading comprehension.
- 60 - To acquire knowledge that promotes respect for other cultures and habits.
- 61 - To develop skills for adapting to new situations.
- 62 - To acquire mechanisms that facilitate the adoption of ethical commitments.
- 64 - To be able to plan and organise one's work.
- 65 - To acquire the ability to put knowledge into practice.
- 68 - To develop mechanisms that encourage sensitivity towards social welfare issues.
Learning outcomes of the subject
- Analyse, from a philosophical perspective, what does it mean to be human in our contemporary context, focusing on three major topics: society, time and freedom.
- Examine the notion of “rationality”, its historical evolution and its social impact in Modern world.
- Gain an understanding of some of essential features of Postmodernity.
- Understand and be able to discuss philosophical and ethical problems embedded in our society.
Syllabus
1. Human being and society
1.1. The advent of the “Mass-man”
- J. Ortega y Gasset, The Revolt of the Masses (excerpts) and Rosh Douthat, “The Age of Individualism”, New York Times, March 15, 2014
- Documentary: The Century of the Self. Part 1: Happiness Machines (S. Freud and E. Bernays)
1.2. Consumerism and the human being as commodity
- Z. Bauman, Consuming Life, “Chapter 2: The Society of Consumers”
- Episode: Black Mirror 3/1: “Nosedive”
1.3. The Postmodern Condition
- Modernity and Postmodernity
- Postmodern art, culture and society (Movie scenes: "The Truman Show")
2. Human being and time
2.1. Back to the future
- Deconstructing time (M. Heidegger, Being and time [excerpts])
- The manifold experience of time: “empty” and “fulfilled” time (H. G. Gadamer, The relevance of the beautiful, pp. 41–42)
- Short film: V. Erice, Lifeline.
2.2. Time alienations and colonisations
- Clocks, markets and capitalism (J. Martineau, Time, Capitalism and Alienation [excerpts])
- Film: Modern Times
- State of emergency and the tyranny of the present moment (Z. Bauman, Consuming Life, pp. 93-96)
2.3. Saving time
- Work vs. leisure (excerpts of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics and Politics)
- Leisure and intellectual work (J. Pieper, Leisure. The Basis of Culture)
- The party (J. Pieper, In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity [excerpts])
3. Human being and freedom
3.1. Freud meets Plato: postmodern drives, desires and mirages
- Z. Bauman, Liquid Love (excerpts)
- Plato, Symposium and Gorgias (excerpts)
3.2. Technology and the ethics of “giftedness”
- M. Horkheimer and T. W. Adorno, Dialectics of Enlightenment (excerpts)
- M. Sandel, “The Case Against Perfection”, The Atlantic Monthly, April 2004 (13 pp.)
- Film: Gattaca
3.3. What money can’t buy
- M. Sandel, What Money Can’t Buy, Chapters 1 and 2
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The lessons will combine theoretical explanations and practical activities.
TRAINING ACTIVITY |
COMPETENCES |
REPORT PRESENTATIONS |
11 68 53 56 57 60 38 45 46 62 65 33 50 54 |
TRAINING ACTIVITY | COMPETENCES |
---|---|
REPORT PRESENTATIONS SMALL GROUP SEMINARS TUTORIALS INDIVIDUAL STUDY MAGISTER CLASS CLASSROOM PRACTICE (SOLVING PROBLEMS/VIDEOS/TEXT COMMENTS/ESSAYS) | 11 68 53 56 57 60 38 45 46 62 65 33 50 54 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The module is assessed as follows:
- Midterm (20%)
- Final examination (50%) (Minimum required grade: 5/10)
- Participation in class, assignments (15%)
- Final presentations (15%)
* No assignment will be accepted after the established deadline.
** Any in-class exercise or written essay that mid-coursely or totally plagiarises any other text, be it a citation or an anonymous source, website or a published text in any possible format (books, magazines, etc.) will lead to immediate failure of the module and the loss of the right to sit the final examination.
Bibliography and resources
REFERENCES
Texts:
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Ch. Rowe (trans.), Oxford University Press, 2002
Aristotle, Politics, C. D. C. Reeve (trans.), Hackett Publishing Co., 1998
Bauman, Z., Liquid Love, Polity Press, 2003
Bauman, Z., Consuming Life, Polity Press, 2007
Douthat, R., “The Age of Individualism”, New York Times, March 15, 2014
Gadamer,H.-G., The Relevance of the Beautiful and Other Essays, N. Walker (trans.), R. Bernasconi (ed.), Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Heidegger, M., Being and Time, J Macquarrie and E. Robinson (trans.), SCM Press, 1962
Horkheimer, M. and Adorno, T. W., Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments, G. S. Noerr (ed.), E. Jephcott (trans.), Stanford University Press, 1947
Martineau, J., Time, Capitalism and Alienation. A Socio-Historical Inquiry into the Making of Modern Time, Brill, 2015
Ortega y Gasset, J., The Revolt of the Masses, W. W. Northon and Company, 1932
Pieper, J., Leisure. The Basis of Culture, G. Malsbary (trans.), St. Augustine Press, 1998
Pieper, J., In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity, R. Winston and C. Winston (trans.), St. Augustine Press, 1999
Plato, Complete Works, Cooper, J M, and D S Hutchinson (trans.), Oregan Publishing, 1997
Postman, N., Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Viking, 1985
Sandel, M., “The Case Against Perfection”, The Atlantic Monthly, April 2004
Sandel, M., What Money Can’t Buy, FSG, 2012
Videos:
Documentary:
The Century of the Self. Part 1: Happiness Machines
Episode:
Black Mirror 3/1: “Nosedive”
Films:
Modern Times
Gattaca
Lifeline (short)
Teaching and learning material
- A. de Benoist, El burgués y el hombre moderno
- Gadamer, Los dos tiempos
- G. Anders, Die Prägung der Bedürfnisse
- G. Sartori, Homo videns
- J. Hearth, A Potter, Rebelarse vende (cap. IV)
- J. Rifkin, El fin del trabajo; cap.I
- J. Rifkin, La sociedad de producción
- Lipovetsky, El lujo eterno
- Lipovetsky, L'Empire de l'éphémère : la mode et son destin dans les sociétés modernes
- Lipovetsky, Le Crépuscule du devoir
- Mongardini, Time and alienation
- M. Sandel, Contra la perfección
- M. Sandel, What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets (p.48-57)
- N. Postman, Amusing ourselves to death (english edition)
- N. Postman, Amusing ourselves to death
- N. Postman, Las cinco advertencias del cambio tecnológico
- P. Romero, Knowledge as merchandise (La Vanguardia, 1/03/2014)
- P. Romero, Philosophy and its creditors (La Vanguardia, 18/01/2015)
- Sennett, The culture of the new capitalism
- Toutain, Imitació de l'home
- Z. Bauman, Liquid love (chap. I)
- Z. Bauman, Liquid love (chap. III)
- Z. Bauman, Liquid love (chap. IV)
- Z. Bauman, Liquid love (preface)
- Z. Bauman, time and obsolescence (Consuming life)
- Z. Bauman, Consuming life
- Z. Bauman, Consuming life (English version)
- Z. Bauman, Vida de consumo (infraclase)
- Z. Bauman, Wasted lives (chapters 1, 2)
- 1929, The Big Crash
- Against happiness: Why we need a philosophy of failure
- BBC (E. Bernays) The century of the self
- Culto a estar ocupado (Tiempo en Gadamer)
- David Boaz, Libertarianism
- E. Bernays, Engineering of consent
- El País, La tiranía de la imagen (artículo J. Sampedro)
- González Férriz. Mito de la autenticidad y la publicidad
- Jot Down, about poverty
- Lipovetsky, Le Crépuscule du devoir
- M. Sandel, What Money Cant Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets
- N. Carr (El País, Homo Technologicus)
- N. Carr (El País, I)
- N. Carr (El País, II)
- N. Carr (El País, III)
- N. Carr (El País, IV)
- N. Carr, Revolution of technology
- Neil Postmans Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change"
- This space available
- Tiempo libre y hombre moderno (el tiempo libre ha muerto)
- Tiempo lleno y tiempo vacío
- V. Erice, Lifeline (ten minutes older)
- Z. Bauman, Consuming life (preface & chap. I, p.77)