Prospectus

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Intercultural Philosophical Hermeneutics

Course
2023-2024

Admission requirements

Admission to this course is restricted to:

  • BA students in Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives, who have successfully completed at least 70 ECTS credits of the mandatory components of the first and second year of their bachelor’s programme, including World Philosophies: Modern Europe, Concepts of Selfhood, Language and Thought, and at least one of the courses World Philosophies: China, World Philosophies: India, World Philosophies: Africa, World Philosophies: Middle East.

  • BA students in Filosofie, who have successfully completed at least 70 ECTS credits of the mandatory components of the first and second year of their bachelor’s programme, including Griekse en Romeinse filosofie, History of Modern Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, Analytische filosofie or Philosophy of Mind.

  • Pre-master’s students in Philosophy who are in possession of an admission statement and who have to complete an advanced seminar, to be selected from package D.

Description

In the past 150 years, due to technological as well as political developments (among which the colonial domination of large parts of the world by Euro-American countries) we have seen an increase of contact between cultures and change within them. Some philosophers speak of the hybridization of cultures. Others seek to define authentic cultural identities. Intercultural contact and change is, as we have seen in recent history, often a cause of tension and conflict, as well as the presupposition of collaboration and progress. In this course you will get the theoretical instruments to analyze interculturality, and get familiar with several philosophical approaches to understand it, and work with it. These approaches may be classified as dialogical hermeneutics, conversationalism, and deconstructivism. To make things more concrete we will focus in this course on European-African relations, and read a wide array of African(a) philosophers who are relevant for our topic, as well as European philosophers who have reflected on interculturality.

Course objectives

Students who successfully complete the course will have a good understanding of :

  • intercultural philosophy from different methodological viewpoints, such as dialogical hermeneutics, conversationalism and deconstruction;

  • European and African 20th century contributions to intercultural hermeneutics;

  • specific cases of intercultural philosophical dialogue such as democracy, ethics, and meaning of life.

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:

  • work with the different approaches to intercultural philosophical hermeneutics;

  • connect these approaches to real world problems of today;

  • reflect independently on the texts, approaches and real world problems and present these orally and in writing.

Timetable

The timetables are available through MyTimetable.

Mode of instruction

  • Seminars

Class attendance is required.

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Attendance and participation in class discussions

  • In-class student presentations

  • Final research paper

Weighting

The final mark for the course is established by determination of the weighted average of several subtests:

  • Attendance and participation in class discussions (10%)

  • In-class student presentations (25%)

  • Final research paper (65%)

Resit

The resit consists of the final research paper (65%). The remainder of the course grade will be determined by the other weighted components. The grades for participation and presentations remain in place.
Students who have obtained a satisfactory grade for the first examination cannot take the resit.

Inspection and feedback

Students will receive feedback on course presentations within one week of completing them.
Students will receive feedback on their research papers within 21 days, at the longest, of completing them.

Reading list

  • Course syllabus will be distributed via Brightspace.

  • Required reading materials will be announced in the syllabus and students will be expected to acquire access to reading materials either through University Library or their own purchase.

Registration

Enrolment through MyStudymap is not possible for this course. Students are requested to submit their preferences for the third-year electives by means of an online registration form. They will receive the instruction and online registration form by email (uMail account); in June for courses scheduled in semester 1, and in December for courses scheduled in semester 2. Registration in uSis will be taken care of by the Education Administration Office.

Contact

  • For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the information bar at the right hand side of the page.

  • For questions about enrolment, admission, etc., contact the Education Administration Office Huizinga

Remarks

Please remember: plagiarism is strictly forbidden. Plagiarism is understood as presenting, intentionally or otherwise, someone else’s words, thoughts, analyses, argumentations, pictures, techniques, computer programmes, etc., as your own work. More information can be found here: https://www.organisatiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/regulations/general/plagiarism