Research Methods in Analytic Philosophy

The course will be divided in three parts.

• In the first part (6 sessions of 2.5 hours, during February–early March), we will have a reading group where we will review and discuss the structure and content of exemplary philosophical papers, as well as material on methodological issues in philosophy. Students will have to prepare questions and comments in advance of each session/class. All papers will be available electronically.
  • Before each session, all students should prepare two comments for discussion: one concerning the topic of the paper, the other concerning the structure (ideally, find a concrete tip or solution to share, e.g., from the writing guides).
• In the second part (to be conducted online, during late March–April), students will have to participate in a philosophy blog, run by the instructors specifically for this class (http://researchmethodsaphil.blogspot.com.es).
  • Each student will have to write at least 1 stand-alone blog post (2,000–3,000 words by 15 April 2022), and at least 2 comments on two other blog posts (by 29 April 2022).
• In the third part (to be held on 20-21 June 2022), we will have a small workshop, where each student will have to present a short paper (ca 1,500 words) and also comment on someone else’s presentation.
  • Each student will have to send their paper to their commentator at least 3 weeks in advance (30 May 2022), and the commentator should send their comments (ca 800 words) to the author at least 1 week prior to the presentation (13 June 2022).
  • The total duration of each individual session will be of 45 minutes. The presentation should be maximum 20 minutes’ long, followed by maximum 10 minutes for the commentary, 5 minutes of reply, and finally 10 minutes for general Q&A.
  • Students are expected to use presentation aids (e.g. PowerPoint slides or handouts) for their presentation.

Intended Learning Outcomes 

Basic Competences

• CB8: Students should be able to integrate information and form complex judgements on the basis of limited or partial information.
• CB9: Students should be able to communicate effectively their arguments and conclusions to a specialized audience in a clear and rigorous manner.
• CB10: Students should acquire and be able to deploy learning skills that allow them to pursue their studies in an autonomous manner.

General Competences

• CG1: Students should be able to analyse, assess and construct valid arguments, and to identify formal and informal fallacies.
• CG2: Students should be able to design, create and develop original research projects in their chosen areas of study in analytic philosophy.
• CG4: Students should be able to work both autonomously and as part of a team, in order to provide arguments and examples for and against different positions in analytic philosophy.

Specific Competences

• CE1: Students should be able to critically engage with the concepts and methods of contemporary analytic philosophy.
• CE4: Students should be able to assess the writings of leading contemporary philosophers in the field of analytic philosophy.
• CE5: Students should be able to identify and critically engage with the current state of a particular philosophical debate, and form a reasoned view, even if provisional, about it.
• CE7: Students should be able to critically use specialized terminology in the field of analytic philosophy.