Below is a list of the courses I currently teach at Boston College.
Alienation as a Philosophical Problem (PHIL5888) Alienation is one of the greatest problems confronting contemporary culture and society. Despite its extensive use in social sciences, the philosophical significance of the concept of alienation is often neglected or glossed over. In this course, we will explore the history and theory of the concept of alienation in selected classics of Western philosophy. We will begin the course by investigating the relation between alienation and labor, engaging Marx’s critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, as well as Marx’s theory of commodity fetishism. Next, we will explore the conditions that produce alienation in our experience of culture and science by reading Husserl, Jaspers, Adorno and Horkheimer. On the basis of this theoretical background, we will focus on two contemporary cases of world-scale alienation: the figures of the refugee, as this emerges in Arendt’s account of totalitarianism, and in contemporary ethics of migration, and that of the social outcast (Fanon, Goffman, Basaglia). Throughout the course, we will consider how the phenomenology of alienation is tied to questions about human emancipation (from what? for whom? for what purpose?).
Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Philosophy (PHIL4408) Alienation refers to the experience of feeling as an alien or estranged from oneself. As a social phenomenon, alienation occurs in relation to specific socio-cultural conditions. What is, more specifically, the relation between alienation, culture, and society? In this course, we will explore the different sources, forms, and implications of the concept of alienation as it emerged in post-Kantian philosophy and developed into the socio-political philosophy of the twentieth century. We will start, in the first part of the course, with the challenges brought about by Kant’s philosophy with particular regard to the relation between nature and culture. In this context, we will focus on Schiller’s and Hegel’s projects of ethical and pedagogical reform, which were meant to overcome the alienation of subjectivity from culture and society through the cultivation of sensibility (Schiller) and the use of dialectical thinking (Hegel). In the second part of the course, we will explore the relation between alienation and objectification by engaging Feuerbach’s critique of religion, Marx’s account of alienation, and the relation between alienation, authoritarianism, and conformism in critical theory and existentialism. This theoretical journey will provide the basis to reflect on the relation between alienation, false consciousness, and bad faith, as well as to re-evaluate the meaning of critical consciousness and its relevance for social experience.
Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit (PHIL6250) This course is designed as an introduction to Hegel’s philosophy. Our primary goal will be to situate Hegel’s philosophical project, to make sense of his dialectical method and to understand the sense of development of spirit. As we will see, the concept of spirit in Hegel’s Phenomenology comprises different senses akin to ‘mind’ and ‘reason’ but also to the collective life of a people. As such, the concept of spirit comprises a fine-grained and rich articulation of affective dispositions, theoretical abilities, and practical capacity of self-determination. Drawing on Hegel’s texts as well as on selected sources in the secondary literature, we will engage the main philosophical questions that surround the dimension of spirit in Hegel’s philosophy, including the concepts of subjectivity and recognition, the clash between individuals and society, as well as the role played by community, history, and philosophy in sustaining projects of mutual accountability and self-determination.
Hegel's Philosophy of Spirit (PHIL75001) This course is conceived as an exploration of Hegel’s concept of Geist, which is often translated in English as “spirit”, “mind”, or “collective cultural mindset”. However, the full meaning of Geist in Hegel’s philosophy comprises a more fine-grained and richer development of affective, psychological, normative, and practical elements. Drawing on Hegel’s Philosophy of Mind (i.e. the third book of Hegel's Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences in Outline, not to be mistaken for his 1807 Phenomenology of Spirit) as well as on selections of other Hegelian works, this course aims to engage the main philosophical questions that surround the dimension of Geist in both Hegel’s philosophy and contemporary debates, including Hegel’s naturalism, the novelty of Hegel’s philosophical anthropology, the problem of recognition, Hegel’s approach to issues of race, gender, and moral conscience, as well as the role played by spirit in Hegel’s theory of freedom, emancipation, and absolute knowledge.
Philosophy of the Person I (PHIL10735 I) What is philosophy? What can philosophy do for our lives as individuals as well as for society? This course will introduce you to the major themes and debates of the philosophical tradition, starting with the Ancient and Medieval times. We will explore philosophy both as a way of life and as a practice of interrogation and dialogue, addressing justice, wisdom, and the cultivation of character. In this first semester, you will grapple with questions concerning philosophy as a form of critical pedagogy, the relation between philosophy and politics, the concept of truth, the nature of virtue and practical deliberation, and the problem of free choice. In the second semester, we will explore and discuss questions about the existence of God, the mind-body problem, the concepts of equality and equity, normative approaches to ethics, the concepts of moral autonomy and respect (including human and animal rights), as well as the sense of human existence in modern and contemporary thought. Ultimately, the course aims to give students a better sense of philosophical themes, arguments, and concepts that have an impact on their own self- and other-understanding. We will use not only classic philosophical texts but also draw on literature and movies. The writing exercises are inspired by the same approach in order to encourage personal reflection and thoughtful analysis.
Philosophy of the Person II (PHIL10735 II) In this course, we will continue our exploration of what philosophy is and how it informs our lives as persons. While, in the first semester, we discussed philosophy as a way of life by looking at ethical doctrines revolving around character formation and virtue, this semester we will turn to questions of philosophy of mind, social and political philosophy, as well as normative ethics in modern and contemporary discourse. The first part of the course will be dedicated to aspects that are constitutive of our identity, including the justification of religious beliefs and the mind-body problem. We will consider the arguments of God’s existence and then explore questions surrounding “what it feels like” to be a person. In the second part of the course, we will examine issues of social and political philosophy, including the social contract theory and modern approaches to normative ethics, such as deontology and utilitarianism. We will discuss whether we have obligations toward other persons, and whether such duties should be extended to nonhuman beings. Finally, we will conclude the course by taking up issues concerned with the meaning of human existence, exploring radical freedom, authenticity, and solidarity in selected classics of French Existentialism.