CloseHelpPrint
Kies de Nederlandse taal
Course module: UCHUMPHI23
UCHUMPHI23
Twentieth Century Theoretical Philosophy
Course info
Course codeUCHUMPHI23
EC7.5
Course goals
After completing this course students are able to:
  • construct an independent, critical but well informed understanding of original philosophical texts,
  • dispense with the mostly political division between continental and analytic philosophy, which has contributed little to the advancement of contemporary philosophy,
Content
This course investigates, from a contemporary (20th and 21st Century) perspective, themes that have occupied philosophical thought over the past 2500 years. There are many different styles of philosophy; in this course the unity within philosophical inquiry is stressed, ignoring artificial divisions. Contemporary philosophy has often been divided into the so-called Analytic and Continental schools. The purpose of this course is to focus on the problems shared by these seemingly opposed schools in such areas as philosophy of mind, language, epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of action. All of the philosophers studied in this course have made great contributions to our understanding of the world and our place in it. Quine, Heidegger, Davidson, Sartre, Wittgenstein, Gadamer, Foucault, Derrida, Ayer, Frege, and Gettier are among the authors who make up the readings. Through close analysis of their contributions, students are encouraged to deepen their familiarity and understanding of the philosophical landscape, awakening the sense of importance of philosophical discourse.

Format
Guided readings from the Blackwell Continental and Analytic philosophy readers are used in order to illuminate the fundamental questions; in-class discussions (twice weekly) are centered on the various perspectives offered in the course material in order to generate lively debate. Students are responsible for the preparation of two essays, each chosen from a variety of topics, and a final take home examination. Continuous assessment is based on class preparation and active participation.
CloseHelpPrint
Kies de Nederlandse taal