Sao Tome and Principe - Philosophy (2º ciclo Ensino Secundário)

This curriculum for Philosophy in Sao Tome and Principe's 2º ciclo Ensino Secundário (equivalent to grades 10 and 11) is adapted from the Portuguese curriculum and was implemented in September 2010. It emphasizes the link between philosophy, democracy, and citizenship, aiming to equip students with critical thinking skills and a framework for ethical and political engagement. The curriculum is structured around key learning units, each with specific objectives, suggested methodologies, and assessment criteria.

Grade 10

• I. Introduction to Philosophy (6 hours): This unit introduces students to the concept of philosophy, philosophical questions, and the practice of philosophizing. It covers the nature of philosophy, its key questions, and the methods used in philosophical inquiry. Activities include guided group work, text analysis, and short written assignments focusing on concept definition and argument construction.
• II. Formal and Informal Logic (26 hours): This unit develops students' ability to think and reason coherently, avoid common inferential errors, and construct sound arguments.
• Formal Logic (20 hours): Focuses on the distinction between validity and truth, forms of valid inference (syllogisms or propositional logic), and common formal fallacies. Activities involve exercises in distinguishing truth and validity, using truth tables, and identifying fallacies.
• Informal Logic (6 hours): Explores critical thinking and argumentation in the context of philosophy. Topics include the nature of argumentation, the structure of arguments, types of arguments and fallacies, and the role of the audience. Activities include constructing arguments, analyzing opinion pieces and political speeches, and writing argumentative texts.
• III. Philosophy of Knowledge and Philosophy of Science (34 hours): This unit delves into the nature of knowledge and scientific knowledge.
• Philosophy of Knowledge (22 hours): Analyzes the act of knowing, comparing two philosophical theories of knowledge. Activities include guided analysis exercises and written analyses.
• Philosophy of Science (12 hours - optional, depending on the school year length): Examines the status of scientific knowledge and the characteristics of scientific rationality, differentiating between common knowledge and scientific knowledge. Activities include group work, oral presentations, and written compositions.

Grade 11

• IV. Philosophy of Action (12 hours): This unit explores human action, including the concepts of determinism and free will. It examines the conceptual framework of action, problems of rationality (such as acrasia), and the relationship between action and causality. Activities include conceptualization exercises, problem formulation, and discussions on determinism and free will.
• V. Axiology and Ethics (32 hours): This unit focuses on values, ethics, and the relationship between personal and social dimensions of ethical action.
• Axiology (12 hours): Introduces the concept of values and valuation, exploring the relationship between values and culture, and the diversity of cultural values. Activities include analyzing case studies and dilemmas, formulating arguments to justify opinions, and engaging in debates.
• Ethics (20 hours): Examines the personal and social dimensions of ethics, the need for moral foundations, and different philosophical perspectives on ethics. Activities include researching concepts and arguments, constructing synoptic tables of arguments, and participating in debates.
• VI. Political Philosophy (10 hours): This unit explores key problems in political philosophy, such as the justification of the state, property, justice, punishment, positive discrimination, democracy, and civil disobedience. Activities include researching concepts and arguments, constructing synoptic tables of arguments, and participating in debates.
• VII. Philosophy of Religion (12 hours - optional, depending on the school year length): This unit introduces the philosophy of religion, exploring problems and arguments related to the existence of God, the problem of evil, and the problem of miracles. It also covers the relationship between philosophy and religion, theism, atheism, and agnosticism. Activities include researching concepts and arguments, constructing synoptic tables of arguments, and participating in debates.

This curriculum also emphasizes the use of diverse resources, including philosophical texts, dictionaries, literary texts, audiovisual materials, and computers, to enhance learning and critical thinking skills. Assessment is primarily formative and qualitative, focusing on the development of core philosophical competencies related to problem formulation, theory comprehension, and argumentation. A variety of assessment methods are used, including written tests, oral presentations, written assignments, and philosophical essays.