Fiction Writing as Philosophical Methodology
Fiction Writing as Philosophical Methodology
June 24-July 5, 2024
Hamilton College Summer Program in Philosophy
Provisional Schedule
During Week 1, classes will generally have the format: (1) mini-lecture by Sara, (2) small group and large group guided discussion, (3) writing exercise.
Monday June 24
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Lecture: Philosophical methodology | “What We Do When We Do Philosophy” |
| Group discussion: Methodologies you’ve seen, methodologies you’ve used. | Chris Daly, An Introduction to Philosophical Methods, ch. 2 Josh Dever, “What is Philosophical Methodology” Jeff King, “Philosophical and Conceptual Analysis” |
| Writing exercise: Word sketches |
Tuesday June 25
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Lecture: Fiction writing as philosophical methodology | “Fiction Writing as Philosophical Methodology” |
| Writing exercise: BDI architectures | Cohen & Levesque, “Persistence, Intention, and Commitment” |
| Group discussions: What is missing? |
Wednesday June 26
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Lecture: Plot as argument, writing as inference | “Fiction Writing as Philosophical Methodology” “Plot as Argument, Writing as Inference” |
| Group discussion: What ifs and consequences | Chris Hill, “Conceivability and Possibility” |
| Writing exercise: Drabbles | prompts Quarantine Quanta edited by Maura Yzmore |
Thursday June 27
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Lecture: Standpoint epistemology | Heidi Grasswick, “Feminist Social Epistemology”, Section 2. |
| Group discussion: Crowdsourcing disasters | D. D. Raphael, “Can Literature Be Moral Philosophy?” |
| Writing exercise: Exploring story prompts |
Friday June 28
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Lecture: Thought experiments | “Fiction as Thought Experiment” “The Role of Scenarios in Paradoxes” |
| Writing exercise: Trolley problems | Absurd Trolley Problems |
During Week 2, we will focus more on the craft and practice of writing.
Sunday June 30
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Lecture: Determining what kind of writer you are | Pocket Workshop: Connolly & Yoachim “Writing While Autistic: Interiority and Neutrality” “Writing While Autistic: Who Gets to Speak?” |
| Group discussion: Crowd-sourcing norms of critique | Kendall L. Walton, “Categories of Art” (esp. sections II and III) |
| Writing exercise: Flash fiction, first drafts |
Tuesday July 2
| Activity | Materials | |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture: Dialogue | Tobias S. Buckell, “Some Thoughts on Exposition,” Pocket Workshop | Ian McDonald, “Proverbs of Hell for Writers,” Pocket Workshop. |
| Writing exercise: Dialogue with your favorite philosopher |
Wednesday July 3
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Lecture: Types of scenes | Nancy Kress, “Setting the Scene”, Pocket Workshop |
| Writing exercise: Paired critique and revision, at the Elephant Graveyard |
Thursday July 4
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Lecture: Constructing plot | Samuel R. Delaney, “Thickening the Plot,” Pocket Workshop. |
| Writing exercise: Rewriting (POV and tense) |
Friday July 5
| Activity | Materials |
|---|---|
| Guest discussion: Reflection, debrief, feedback, comments | |
| Guest Lecture: Rachel Handley, author of Possible Worlds and Other Stories, on writing philosophical fiction |