Course Catalog

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Course Catalog

PHENOMENOLOGY & EXISTENTIALISM (PL3010)

Existentialism and Phenomenology are two of the most innovative and influential philosophical trends in the 20th century. Existentialism puts individual freedom and responsibility at the center of any approach to the world’s meaning. Phenomenology is the theoretical study of phenomena (that is, of how consciousness works and gives us access to the essence of things).

GREEK & ROMAN KEY TEXTS (PL3017)

In-depth study of Ancient Greek and Latin texts or authors of both literary and philosophical interest. Subjects may include, e.g., the comparison of a Greek and a Roman philosopher; close reading of the oeuvre, or part of an oeuvre, of one author; the literary and philosophical analysis of a collection of thematically and generically connected passages
“For the course description, please find this course in the respective semester on the public course browser: https://www.aup.edu/academics/course-catalog/by-term.”

GLOBAL JUSTICE (PL3019)

Is it unjust that there are huge economic inequalities between people of different countries? If so, who is responsible for rectifying these injustices? Should individuals enjoy the liberty to move freely across countries? How fair is free trade? The course explores these and other questions of global justice from philosophical and social-scientific perspectives.

PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE (PL3022)

Introduction to philosophical thinking about the nature and functioning as well as the ethics and socio-politics of that fuzzy phenomenon we call “language.”Provides a comprehensive overview of main theories from the 19th to the 21st century,in both the analytic and the continental tradition. Relates the material to issues important to the students of the course in their everyday lives.
Combining and contrasting approaches from both the analytic and the continental tradition, this course provides an overview of the field from the 19th to the 21st century. Sharing forces and drawing on our own experiences, we will get a grip quite a number of complex ideas proposed by experts in the field. You will realize that even the driest and most outlandish theory can blow your mind once you connect it to things that matter to you in your own life.

PHILOSOPHY & THE THEATER (PL3030)

This course develops a philosophical analysis of three major ruptures in the history of theater: first, the initial Greek encounter between philosophy and theater; second the emergence of realism from Diderot to Stanislavsky; and finally modernism, marked by the groundbreaking explorations of Meyerhold, Brecht and Artaud. Four plays will be studied in tandem with theatrical manifestoes and philosophical texts.

PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY (PL3040)

Psychology and philosophy have a long history in common. The course addresses philosophical dimensions and implications of psychology – concerning our understanding of cognition, action, emotion, imagination, mind, body, and brain. It also deals with central issues in philosophy that reflect and elaborate our understanding of human psychology and the way it is scientifically investigated: consciousness, thought and language, identity, and other forms of human subjectivity and its social, cultural, and historical fabric.

PHILOSOPHY OF AESTHETICS (PL3074)

What is Art? What is Beauty? How can I know what is beautiful? And what does it mean to me? These are some of Aesthetics’ main questions as it is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and value of art and the criteria of artistic judgment and experience. Various answers have been given throughout the history of philosophy, from Plato and Aristotle to Kant and today’s analytical or postmodern philosophy, making of aesthetics a vibrant and dynamic discipline, constantly revitalised by new art forms and critical concepts. Through a thorough historical survey of the notion students learn to discuss art and beauty in a time when these classical notions are undergoing very important changes. Everyone is encouraged to bring in his or her own experience of art. There is no prerequisite for this course.

KANT, HEGEL, AND BEYOND (PL3076)

Philosophical and political modernity concerns the development of rationality, freedom, and social responsibility from out of the tensions between ethics, religion, politics and the economy. With postmodernist epistemology, the so-called 'return' of religion, and economic globalization, this 'modernity' has been questioned. In this historical context the course re-elaborates the problematic of modernity through selective reading of Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche.

MODERN CRITICAL THEORY (PL3079)

Modern Critical Theory examines the notions of experience, representation and value from a plurality of standpoints: linguistic, semiotic, anthropological, psychoanalytic, literary, philosophical, aesthetic. This course studies the main schools and authors of this tradition and focuses on the notion of cultural meaning in the works of key theorists (from Levi-Strauss to Said, from Adorno to Butler).

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP (PL3087)

Digital citizenship is a key concept of our digital age, expressing the hope that a humane use of digital technologies is possible. The course contrasts digital citizenship with political, environmental, and global conceptions citizenship, before studying the political, legal, and educational dimensions of digital citizenship. It also explores selected practices of digital citizenship, including clicktivism, digital commoning, and digital counter surveillance.