This course examines the historical development of the Middle East from the rise of the Ottoman Empire to its decline, and later from colonial rule to national independences. It covers the Arab World, Turkey and Iran and follows four main general themes: Reform, Colonialism, Nationalism and Revolution. The course is divided into two main sections which are organised chronologically and thematically. The first part of the course deals with the formation of the Ottoman Empire, its expansion, and the rise of Safavids in Persia. It then covers the reform movements in the Ottoman and Persian (Qajar) Empires, the influence of Europe and the political and social upheaval brought about by the outbreak of revolutions in the early 20th century. Indigenous responses to European penetration and indigenous reform are analysed through an understanding of revolutionary movements, and the rise of nationalism. The second part of the course examines the emergence of states in the Arab World, the British French accords and declarations, the question of Palestine and the Zionist activism and the debates around Secularism vs. Islam.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 15:20 | 16:40 | C-102 |
Friday | 15:20 | 16:40 | C-102 |
The Middle East is a region of great diversity with different histories, cultures, languages and populations. It constitutes nevertheless a systematic entity, with close interrelations, and many common political, cultural and socio-economical challenges. The course will explore the cultural, political, ethnic and geographical realities of the region (historically and in the present). It will present as well the ongoing debates and themes in major political and cultural circles.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 10:35 | 11:55 | PL-1 |
Friday | 10:35 | 11:55 | PL-1 |
This course introduces students to the modern literature of the Arab world through works by canonical or established writers in addition to contemporary work. Primary texts are read in addition to a variety of historical, critical, and other materials, with modern Arabic literature presented as a case study in world literature, translation studies, comparative modernisms, or comparative literary history.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 09:00 | 10:20 | G-L21 |
Friday | 09:00 | 10:20 | G-L21 |
Introduces the contemporary politics of the Middle East, from Turkey and Iran to the Atlantic Ocean, including all the Arab countries of West Asia and North Africa as well as Israel. Focuses on political trends (nationalism and religious fundamentalism), key historical experiences and traumatic events (wars and revolutions), and the interference of world powers that contributed to shaping this sensitive area.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 12:10 | 13:30 | PL-4 |
Friday | 12:10 | 13:30 | PL-4 |
Formerly PL2022. This course aims to provide a solid and comprehensive grounding in modern philosophy focusing on the main issues and theories of late Renaissance philosophy, modern Rationalism and Empiricism, philosophies of the Enlightenment, Critical philosophy, modern Idealism, Phenomenology and some questions of analytic philosophy. It offers an introduction to the works of the major figures of this tradition.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday | 15:20 | 16:40 | PL-1 |
Thursday | 15:20 | 16:40 | PL-1 |
You will understand better why you and why others hold the beliefs they do. The course combines a complete introduction to propositional and predicate logic with an overview of types of causal reasoning. You will apply these new skills to analyze and engage with natural language arguments about philosophical topics and other controversial themes of the day.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 12:10 | 13:30 | PL-1 |
Friday | 12:10 | 13:30 | PL-1 |
Political philosophy forms that branch of philosophy that reflects on the specificity of the political. Why are humans, as Aristotle argued, political animals? How are they political? What are the means and ends of the political, and how best does one organize the political with such questions in mind? The course offers a topic-oriented approach to the fundamental problems underlying political theory and practice.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 09:00 | 10:20 | C-103 |
Friday | 09:00 | 10:20 | C-103 |
This course explores the impact of modern science upon philosophy through an exploration of the fundamental texts of classical metaphysics - Descartes' Principles of Philosophy, Spinoza's Ethics, Leibniz's Discourse on Metaphysics and The Monadology - an examination guided by the question of what is it to act with freedom and grace in an infinite universe ruled by the laws of nature.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 10:35 | 11:55 | SD-1 |
Friday | 10:35 | 11:55 | SD-1 |
Introduction to ethics by the example of environmental ethics, exploring the role of humans as moral agents with regard to other living beings, the whole planet or its biosphere, and future generations. Through cases studies and to understand implicit assumptions and theoretical problems of standpoints taken by stakeholders in the debate.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday | 16:55 | 18:15 | PL-1 |
Thursday | 16:55 | 18:15 | PL-1 |
What are the justifications and implications of using markets, and what arrangements are necessary to establish and protect the commons? This course studies foundational texts of (neo-)liberal economics that aim to legitimize market mechanisms; philosophical treatments and critiques of key concepts, such as rationality and motivation, property and common goods; political analyses of how allocative institutions produce distributional outcomes.
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday | 13:45 | 15:05 | PL-2 |
Thursday | 13:45 | 15:05 | PL-2 |