Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h
Q2
Teacher(s)
Verdée Peter;
Language
French
Prerequisites
/
Main themes
This course offers an introduction to the philosophy of language and aims to provide an overview of the different aspects of language:
- its nature: difference between human, animal and artificial language, the innate or acquired status of linguistic ability, the question of the origin of language
- its relationship with reality: representation, expression, fiction, reference, truth
- its relationship with thought
- its relationship with action: speech acts
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
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The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
The course begins with a historical introduction to the philosophy of language where major themes are introduced in their historical context. Then we will study the following texts:
- Gottlob Frege, "Sense and reference"
- W. V. O. Quine, "Le mythe de la signification "
- Michael Dummett, "What do I know when I know a language?"
- Peter Strawson, "Context and meaning"
- David Kaplan, "Demonstratives. An essay on the semantics, logic, metaphysics and epistemology of demonstratives and other indexicals. "
- John Searle, "What is a speech act? "
- Selection of passages from the book "Philosophy of Language (and Mind)" written by François Recanati
Teaching methods
A few ex cathedra courses
Reading courses. Students prepare texts at home. A student presents the general structure of the text in 20 minutes and then discusses the subjects of the article in detail.
Reading courses. Students prepare texts at home. A student presents the general structure of the text in 20 minutes and then discusses the subjects of the article in detail.
Evaluation methods
January:
20% of the final grade: Active participation in class
80% of the final grade: An oral exam with a written preparation (which is organized one or a few days before the oral exam)
September:
20% of the final grade: a written assignment (a 2-page reflection on a central question)
80% of the final grade: An oral exam with a written preparation (which is organized one or a few days before the oral exam)
20% of the final grade: Active participation in class
80% of the final grade: An oral exam with a written preparation (which is organized one or a few days before the oral exam)
September:
20% of the final grade: a written assignment (a 2-page reflection on a central question)
80% of the final grade: An oral exam with a written preparation (which is organized one or a few days before the oral exam)
Bibliography
- Tous les textes et les slides seront disponibles sur Moodle
Teaching materials
- Tous les textes et les slides seront disponibles sur Moodle
Faculty or entity
EFIL
