Ateneo - UPO

Human experiences of uprootedness and rootedness in the thought of Simone Weil

S. Weil, La prima radice. Preludio a una dichiarazione dei doveri verso l’essere umano, trad. it. di F. Fortini, SE, Milano 1990. S. Weil, L'Iliade o il poema della forza, Asterios, Trieste 2012. Parts from I. Poma, Simone Weil. Per una decostruzione religiosa del soggetto moderno, Mimesis, Milano-Udine 2022. Additional essays will be provided throughout the module

At a basic level, the course aims to foster an attitude of attention—a fundamental concept in Weil’s thought and an indispensable condition for gaining awareness of otherwise unnoticed themes and issues. This will allow students to acquire basic notions of moral philosophy through a methodological approach and with reference to the author’s philosophical thought.

At a more advanced level, the course aims to enable students to navigate the interpretation of her philosophical texts and connect them to the discipline's theoretical-conceptual framework. Students will be equipped to express critical judgments using terminally precise and rigorous language.

No mandatory prerequisites are required. Many students come from the Bachelor of Philosophy; for others a general understanding of philosophy in its basic concepts is helpful.

Lectures, analysis and commentary of texts, group discussion.

The course will be held in the second semester. Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The final exam includes an oral exam of about 20 minutes, with which to verify the knowledge inserted between the objectives and the expected learning outcomes. The interview is structured in 3 sections: 1) at least one question on the introductory part of the course; 2) at least one question on every text of the course program; 3) at least one question on the parts related by the students, except the one presented by the student examined. The exam will have a positive result if the sum of 18/30 is reached or exceeded. The formulation of the overall grade will be based on the following elements: answers to questions from Section 1: 20% of the evaluation; answers to questions in Section 2: 50% of the evaluation; answers to questions in Section 3: 20% of the evaluation. Exposure attentive to the precision of the terminology and to the argumentative correctness: 10%. The honors will be awarded based on the assessment of accuracy, depth and ability to process the response.

The course addresses the human experiences of rootedness and uprootedness, drawing from Simone Weil's ever-illuminating reflection. From there, the curriculum unfolds into an analysis of the challenges that the issue of uprootedness poses to a relational thought—one that is welcoming of all forms and kinds of plurality, and converging in a shared orientation toward the good

Applying knowledge and understanding: Ability to engage with philosophical texts and connect them to the theoretical-conceptual framework of the discipline; Ability to present and discuss the author's position, using the core concepts of the discipline appropriately. Making judgements and Communication skills: Ability to address the subject matter appropriately by structuring contributions and actively participating in discussions. Learning skills: Skills in analysis, synthesis, and interpretive comprehension of texts