Required in stage
Optional in stage
First term
Not organised
This year
Next year
Alternating years
External
Prerequisites
Identical coursesBachelor's Paper with Seminar: Metaphysics and Philosophy of Culture (B-KUL-W0W45A)
English
26 
Both terms
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contractCannot be taken as part of a credit contract
Scott Blake | N. Aims
Students learn how to research and write a more extended piece of philosophical scholarship. The supervision in the seminar aims to finalise this process within the provided schedule. The Bachelor's Paper with Seminar is also intended as a first encounter with research activities within the Institute of Philosophy.
Students should demonstrate that they are able to combine insights of the Bachelor's classes, their reading and the obtained skills into a paper including a first form of specialisation. At the end of the course, students are prepared to move on to the Master's Thesis.
The philosophical reading, writing, oral, arguing and research skills, which were dealt with in the different philosophical courses in the first and second stage, are deepened and extended.
The following research skills are dealt with, among others:
- The student can find literature on news sites, in newspaper archives, in databases for philosophy (Philosopher's Index, International Philosophical Bibliography, PhilPapers), in Google Scholar, Web of Science, UniCat, WorldCat, ...
- The student can use indirect search strategies.
- The student knows the legal and social aspects of information dissemination (copyright, open access).
Previous knowledge
The student masters the philosophical reading, writing, oral, arguing and research skills which were dealt with in the different philosophical courses in the first and second stage. For these learning objectives, see for instance the ECTS sheet of the course Research and Writing in Philosophy (first stage). Students should also have a competent knowledge of English.
Order of Enrolment
You can only take this course if you have to acquire no more than 75 credits to obtain your degree.
Identical courses
This course is identical to the following courses:
W0W41A : Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Logic and Analytic Philosophy
W0W42A : Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Phenomenology and Philosophical Anthropology
W0W43A : Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy
W0W44A : Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Is included in these courses of study
Activities
4 ects. Seminar Metaphysics and Philosophy of Culture (B-KUL-W0W45a)
Content
Topic 2024-2025: Reason & Rhetoric
Philosophers have traditionally defined themselves, and their own rational activity, over and against practitioners of rhetoric and sophistry. Yet, philosophy’s victory over rhetoric has never been total, as many have sought to reverse or reconcile the terms of this debate. In this seminar we will examine the long-standing rivalry between philosophy and rhetoric in view of how it informs the concept of reason. To prepare for researching and writing the Bachelor’s Paper, we will read and discuss texts from several authors – some ancient, some contemporary – who address this problem in different ways. We begin with Plato’s critique of rhetoric and its most recent iteration in the work of Alain Badiou. We then turn to Aristotle and Nietzsche for more positive conceptions of rhetoric, but which nonetheless pull in entirely different directions. We then come to the influential “new rhetoric” of Belgian theorists Chaïm Perelman and Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca, who attempt to reconcile philosophy and rhetoric with a theory of argumentation. Finally, we come to Barbara Cassin who attempts to reappropriate the term “sophistry” by overturning the conventional Platonic narrative with which we began.
Course material
Selection of primary texts and secondary literature. The course material changes from year to year, together with the topics and will be announced at the beginning of each seminar.
Format: more information
In the seminar, students will be guided in the process of writing their Bachelor's Paper. Every year certain topics will be offered in the seminar. Students write their paper on a subject that falls within one of the topics. The theme facilitates student interaction in the seminars.
Attendance to all seminar sessions is mandatory! A student who is repeatedly and for illegitimate reasons absent can be denied further access to class by the teacher of the course.
For the research skills, a coursebook will be made available through the Toledo community Online Writing Lab (author: Griet Galle). Information sessions on research, writing, and presentation skills will also be organised.
8 ects. Bachelor's Paper (B-KUL-W0EB7a)
EnglishFormat: Bachelor's paper
Second termN. Content
Students write a paper (minimum 6250 and maximum 7500 words, table of contents, footnotes and bibliography not included) on one of the topics offered in the seminar. For information on the requirements for the paper and submission deadlines, please see the website of the Bachelor's Paper with Seminar.
Format: more information
Writing the paper includes:
- doing library research;
- reading and processing of primary and secondary literature;
- writing a one-page proposal;
- writing a first draft, taking into account the remarks of fellow students and the teacher;
- writing the final draft, taking into account the remarks made by fellow students and the teacher. The seminars are organized to guide students through the process of writing. In addition, students can contact the teacher for individual feedback.
Students should read and follow the following guidelines:
Is also included in other courses
- W0W41A : Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Logic and Analytic Philosophy
- W0W42A : Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Phenomenology and Philosophical Anthropology
- W0W43A : Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy
- W0W44A : Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Evaluation
Evaluation: Bachelor's Paper with Seminar: Metaphysics and Philosophy of Culture (B-KUL-W2W45a)
Explanation
Examination description
The Seminar will be graded by the teacher on the basis of the presentation(s) and participation in the seminar meetings.
The Paper will be graded by the teacher of the seminar and a second reader.
Criteria of evaluation:
- Basic writing skills and proper mastery of the formalities of presenting a piece of philosophical research
- Overall order and organization in the development of the paper
- Familiarity with and understanding of the material being discussed, and with some main secondary material
- Clarity of understanding; argumentative and interpretative skill
- Quality of philosophical intelligence
To determine the overall result for the course Bachelor's Paper with Seminar the results for the two parts will be weighted as follows:
- Seminar: 30% of the final grade, i.e. 10% for participation/cooperation and 20% for the presentations
- Paper: 70% of the final grade
Students can only pass for the course if they get a grade for both parts. Students can only pass for the course if they have obtained a partial mark of at least 10/20 for the paper; if that is not the case they can obtain maximum 9/20 for the “Bachelor’s Paper with Seminar”.
The student needs to pass the BA paper with Seminar course unit in order to pass the BA programme. No tolerance can be applied for this course unit.
Students who fail to complete the course within one year will in principle not be able to continue on same subject. They have to retake the seminar and they have to write a paper on a topic that fits within the theme of one of the seminars that are offered.
Determination of the examination result
If students did not attend the course as required (absent more than one session without legitimate reason), did not sufficiently participate in group assignments, did not give a presentation, and/or did not submit all the course work (in time), they will receive the result 'not taken' (NA). In case students cannot, for well-founded reasons, attend class as required, they need to inform the teacher of the course without undue delay. The teacher can in this case decide to give the student a make-up assignment (for example, a reading report on the material covered in the seminar session which the student missed). In case students cannot, for serious reasons and regularly or for a long period of time, attend class as required or in case students cannot, for serious reasons, give a presentation on a scheduled date, they need to inform the examination ombudsperson without undue delay.
If students submit a paper that does not respect the word limits, one point for each block of 500 words too many or too few will be deducted.
Information about retaking exams
This course unit allows partial mark transfers in case of partial pass mark:
- W0W45a - Seminar Metaphysics and Philosophy of Culture (during academic year)
- W0EB7a - Bachelor's Paper (during academic year)
The second examination attempt is limited to (re)submitting the course work. Participation and/or presentation cannot be retaken. The student who in the course of the academic year did not attend class as required or who did not give a presentation will again receive the NA result.