| CODE | PHI5017 | ||||||||
| TITLE | The Nature of Social Reality | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Philosophy | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit provides an in-depth study of social ontology, namely the specific analysis of social objects (like money, football teams, and corporations), social facts (for instance, the fact that one is a citizen of such and such a country), and social processes (such as election campaigns, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the 1990 World Cup). The central questions pertaining to this budding and dynamic field of study are: how are creatures such as ourselves able to create social reality? How is social reality established and maintained? What role do documents, objects, and intentionality play in the constitution of social reality? Is there a fundamental relation between physical reality and social reality? Is society only about human relations, or do non-human entities also play a constitutive role? How is power socially constituted and distributed? How does a social object such as money attain its value? The aim of this study-unit is to answer each of these questions through a systematic analysis of some key texts in this dynamic area of research. Overall, this unit will provide students with an overview of some of the key concepts, debates, and theories in social ontology, as well as the opportunity to engage critically with the ideas of some of the most influential contemporary philosophers in the field. Study-Unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are to: - allow students to explore questions related to the nature of social reality. - encourage students to provide a systematic summary of particular philosophical positions. - question common-sense assumptions about social reality. - encourage students to take part in debates concerning the nature and value of specific social objects such as money and credit cards. - allow students to critically evaluate a number of different theories pertaining to the nature and constitution of social reality. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - define and employ key concepts in social ontology (collective intentionality, status functions, documentality, constitutive rules, assemblage theory, emergence, deontic powers). - engage with prominent schools of thought related to social ontology (New Realism, Assemblage Theory, Object-Oriented Ontology, Actor-Network Theory). - critically evaluate the ideas related to the constitution and sustenance of social objects, facts, and processes. - familiarise oneself with and critically discuss the central concepts shaping contemporary debates on social reality. - engage with primary and secondary texts on social ontology. 2. Skills: - identify and reflect on the central concepts in social ontology. - write a critical essay on a particular theory of social ontology. - analyse and evaluate different philosophical arguments pertaining to the nature and ontological status of social reality. - conduct research on different texts, theories, and ideas related to social ontology. - articulate complex ideas in both oral and written form (through class discussions and an assignment respectively). - break down complex philosophical theories on social ontology in order to analyse their underlying structure. - combine different philosophical perspectives and theories related to social ontology in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic. - think creatively about social reality in order to assess the merits and deficiencies of current theories, and possibly develop alternative views. - reflect critically on their own assumptions about the nature of social ontology. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - DeLanda, Manuel (2013) A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity. London: Bloomsbury. - Harman, Graham (2016) Immaterialism: Objects and Social Theory. Cambridge: Polity. - Searle, John (1998) Mind, Language, and Society: Philosophy in the Real World. New York: Basic Books- Searle, John (2010) Making the Social World: The Structure of Human Civilization. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - Ferraris, Maurizio (2013) Documentality: Why it is Necessary to Leave Traces. New York: Fordham University Press. Supplementary Readings: - Andina, Tiziana (2016) An Ontology for Social Reality. London: Palgrave Macmillan. -DeLanda, Manuel (2006) "Deleuzian Social Ontology and Assemblage Theory", in Deleuze and the Social. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. - Ferraris, Maurizio (2015) Collective Intentionality or Documentality?", Philosophy and Social Criticism, 41(4-5), pp. 423-433. - Rudder Baker, Lynne (2019) "Just What is Social Ontology?", Journal of Social Ontology, 5(1), pp. 1-12. A selection of articles shall be made available for students on the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Tutorial | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Niki Young |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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