The study of language represents one of the most fruitful fields of research in contemporary philosophy, which is why its findings have been applied with particular relevance in the disciplines that make up the degree program. The objective of the course is to equip students with the basic competencies needed to analyze, assess, and make informed judgments about the social implications of various communicative situations. To achieve this, the main mechanisms of argumentation in the professional fields of the humanities, politics, and economics will be explored, within the context of a knowledge- and technology-driven society. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the degree, emphasis will be placed on the analytical and inductive approach to the theoretical content on language, starting from the social realities constructed through the various types of discourse that shape today?s professional world.
UNIT 1: LANGUAGE THEORY
Topic 1: General Introduction
1.1 Language as a human phenomenon.
1.2 Language and culture: the origins of language.
1.3 The linguistic turn and contemporary philosophy.
Topic 2: Semiotics
2.1 Semiotics and philosophy of language.
2.2 Signs, concepts, and things.
2.3 Meaning and communication.
2.4 Theory of codes.
Topic 3: Semantics
3.1 Basic notions: sentences, statements, propositions.
3.2 Sense and reference.
3.3 Philosophical semantics: referentialism and language games.
3.4 Linguistic semantics: Structuralism, Pragmatics, and Cognitivism.
3.5 A realistic semantics?
Topic 4: Pragmatics
4.1 Enunciation and statement.
4.2 Discourse and facts. Referential expressions.
4.3 Speech acts: illocutionary, perlocutionary, and performative.
UNIT 2: ARGUMENTATION
Topic 5: Communication and Dialogue
5.1 Conversation and the principle of cooperation: H. P. Grice.
5.2 Relevance theory: Deirdre Wilson and Dan Sperber.
5.3 The limits of argumentation: agreement and truth.
5.4 Argumentative techniques: analogy, dissociation, and interaction.
5.5 Argumentation in the age of social media? Twitter, Facebook?
Topic 6: Rhetoric and Argumentation
6.1 Definition of rhetoric: persuading and convincing.
6.2 Matter, genres, and parts. Judicial, deliberative, and demonstrative genres.
6.3 Stages of rhetorical discourse
6.4.Public argumentation today
Expository Method: Presentation of theoretical content through in-person classes and documentation on the platform (selected readings from the proposed bibliography, etc.).
Analysis of Texts and Documents: Personal reading of materials covering the main content of the course. Individual preparation and group discussions in sessions (either in-person or virtual).
Debate Method: Along with participation in lectures and critical, personal analysis of sources, students must be able to test their knowledge intersubjectively through supervised debates. These debates help make the content of each unit more flexible and the results more accessible, always trying to engage with the social and historical context surrounding the student.
Oral Presentation Methods: Presentations and exhibitions by the students, promoting debate among them, under the professor's moderation.
Written Presentation Methods: After each unit, the student will prepare responses to the questionnaire presented through the platform. This assignment allows the student to update and deepen their written understanding of the material presented and discussed in class, in a reflective and personal manner.
Tutoring: To ensure maximum personalization of the learning process, the course includes a tutoring schedule where students can clarify doubts, explore new areas of interest, review assignments, and maintain a continuous learning attitude regarding the subject matter.
To be eligible for assessment in the ordinary exam period, all evaluation activities must have been completed. Assessable activities must be submitted on the dates indicated by the instructor. If, for any duly justified and communicated reason, the activities could not be submitted within the established period, they may be submitted before the date of the subject?s exam, so that the instructor can grade them. However, in this case, the instructor is not obliged to provide feedback to the student on these activities.
On the other hand, the student has the right to take the final written exam even if they have not submitted all other evaluation activities. However, the final grade for the subject will only be calculated if all activities have been submitted and according to the evaluation criteria and weightings established in this syllabus. If any evaluation activity has not been submitted or completed, it will be recorded in the grade report as ?Not Submitted? for that exam period.
EXTRAORDINARY EXAM PERIOD (IN-PERSON):
The evaluation criteria are the same as in the ordinary exam period, so all evaluation activities considered during the course must be submitted. Grades for completed activities (including the final written exam) will be retained while pending activities are completed. The same weighting criteria as in the ordinary evaluation will apply. This measure applies only for the current academic year; if the student does not pass the extraordinary exam, re-enrollment will require repeating the entire subject.
Written Exam: 50%
Task Analysis: 35%
Attendance and participation: 15%
U. Eco, Tratado de semiótica general, Barcelona. Lumen, 2000.
J. Lyons, Introducción al lenguaje y a la lingu?ística, Barcelona: Teide, 1993.
Ch. S. Peirce, Obra lógico-filosófica, Madrid: Taurus, 1987.
Ch. Perelman L. Olbrechts-Tyteca, Tratado de la argumentación: la nueva retórica, Madrid: Gredos, 1989.
R. Rorty, El giro lingu?ístico. Barcelona: Paidós, 1990.
F. de Saussure, Curso de lingu?ística general, Bueno Aires, Losada, 2007.
J. Searle, Actos de habla: ensayo de filosofía del lenguaje, Madrid: Cátedra, 1990.
L. Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logicus-Philosophicus. Investigaciones Filosóficas. Madrid: Gredos, 2017.
A good manual to guide oneself through the philosophical aspects of the subject is:
F. Conesa y J. Nubiola, Filosofía del lenguaje, Barcelona: Herder, 1999.
J. J. Acero et al., Introducción a la filosofía del lenguaje, Madrid, Cátedra, 1996.
J. Austin, Cómo hacer cosas con las palabras. Barcelona: Paidós, 2016.
K. Bu?hler, Teoría del lenguaje, Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 1996.
J. Courtès, Semiótica. Diccionario razonado de la Teoría del Lenguaje. Madrid: Gredos, 2004.
F. D'Agostini, Analíticos y continentales. Madrid: Cátedra, 2018.
M. Dovry, S. Moirand (eds.), La argumentación, hoy: encuentro entre perspectivas teóricas. Barcelona: Montesinos, 2008.
U. Eco, Tratado general de semiótica. Barcelona: Lumen, 2000.
M. García-Carpintero, Relatar lo ocurrido como invención. Una introducción a la filosofía de la ficción contemporánea. Madrid: Cátedra, 2016.
J. García del Muro, Good bye, verdad: una aproximación a la posverdad. Lleida: Editorial Milenio, 2019.
H. P. Grice, Studies in the ways of words. Cambridge MA, Harvard U. P., 1989.
R. Marafioti, Teoría de la argumentación: a 50 años de Perelman y Toulmin. Buenos Aires: Biblos, 2010.