Course code Filz1013

Credit points 3

History of Philosophy

Total Hours in Course81

Number of hours for lectures16

Number of hours for seminars and practical classes16

Independent study hours49

Date of course confirmation16.11.2021

Responsible UnitInstitute of Social Sciences and Humanities

Course developer

author Sociālo un humanitāro zinātņu institūts

Juris Vuguls

Dr. phil.

Course abstract

The aim of the study course is to provide knowledge about the essence of philosophy and philosophical thinking and the main philosophical ideas in the stages of the development of philosophy; to develop students' skills of philosophical reflection and critical thinking.
The study course acquires knowledge about the essence of philosophy and philosophical thinking, the subject and methodological consequences of philosophy research, as well as their peculiarities and difficulties related to the study of philosophy. The study course covers the main categories of philosophy, branches of history and stages in the history of philosophy. Within the study course, relevant texts and ideas in the context of the history of world thought are analyzed. As a result of researching philosophical ideas, students acquire knowledge on the basis of which certain sciences are based, incl. sociology, as well as students acquire critical thinking and reasoned communication skills.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge: The study course provides in-depth knowledge of the essence, research subject, methods and main fields of philosophy (1st test, seminars, discussions), as well as the main stages of the history of philosophy, ability to describe them, to know and understand the main ideas and categories of philosophy. (2nd test, seminars, discussions, essays, their presentation)
Skills: The course acquires skills to apply knowledge about the essence of philosophy and its main categories in the analysis of organizational and public administration and its problems, as well as to identify the presence of philosophical ideas and categories in sociological research, use philosophical reflection and critical thinking skills in sociological analysis. (1st and 2nd test, seminars, discussions); general skills - ability to responsibly plan time and perform the assigned tasks, independently obtain the necessary information, critically evaluate and analyze the obtained information using various sources of information, form cooperation, engage in discussion and reasonably defend their opinion (discussions, group work).
Competence: Students acquire competencies to analyze the problems of sociological science and communication, based on the knowledge gained in the course on the subject, methods, main ideas and categories of philosophical research, using philosophical reflection and critical thinking skills.
(1 essay and 1 individual work development and presentations)

Course Content(Calendar)

List of lectures (16 hours)
1. Definition of philosophy, subject of philosophical research. (1 hour)
2. Philosophy research methods. (1 hour)
3. The main features and problems of philosophical thinking. (1 hour)
4. The beginnings of philosophy - existential border situations, the secret of death, wondering. (1 hour)
5. The main branches of philosophy. (1 hour)
6. Ancient philosophy. Ancient Eastern philosophy. (1 hour)
7. Ancient philosophy. Philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome. (1 hour)
8. Medieval philosophy. (1 hour)
9. Renaissance philosophy. (1 hour)
10. New age philosophy. (1 hour)
11. Philosophy of Enlightenment. (1 hour)
12. 19th Century philosophy I. (1 hour)
13. 19th century philosophy II. (1 hour)
14. 20th century philosophy. (1 hour)
15. Philosophy of dialogue. (1 hour)
16. Postmodernism and feminism. (1 hour)

List of seminars (16 hours)
1. Peculiarities of philosophy and acquisition problems. (1 hour)
2. The essence of philosophy, research subject, method and main branches (test, 1 hour).
3. Philosophical ideas in Eastern philosophy. (1 hour)
4. Philosophical ideas in ancient philosophy. (2 hours)
5. Philosophical ideas in medieval philosophy. (1 hour)
6. Philosophical ideas in the philosophy of modern times. (1 hour)
7. Philosophy of life. (2 hours)
8. Philosophy as an art of living. How to live a good life? An argumentative essay on philosophical ideas in film. (presentation, 1 hour)
9. Philosophical ideas in the 19th century. (1 hour)
10. Philosophy of dialogue (2 hours)
11. Philosophical ideas in the philosophy of postmodernism and feminism. (1 hour)
12. Description of one stage of the history of philosophy and description of the ideas of a particular philosopher. (presentation, 1 hour)
13. The main stages of the history of philosophy, their characteristics, main ideas and categories. (test, 1 hour)

Requirements for awarding credit points

Test 1 - 10%; Test 2 - 10%; Discussions, group work - 10%; Essay development and presentation 15%; Development and presentation of individual work - 15%; Exam -40%

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

During the studies the student develops, submits and presents at the specified time. 2 works:
1. An argumentative essay on philosophical ideas in film “Philosophy as an Art of Living. How to live a good life?”
2. Individual work and its presentation:
Description of one stage in the history of philosophy and description of the ideas of a particular philosopher.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Independent work is assessed according to the quality requirements of compliance with the task.
Discussions are judged by engagement, ability to reasonably argue and discuss issues related to study topics.
Main focus in assessment of independent and discussion tasks – development of individual critical, philosophical thinking and elements of independent thinking.

Compulsory reading

1. Kūle M., Kūlis R. Filosofija. Rīga, Zvaigzne ABC, B.g. 656 lpp. ISBN: 9984-17-119-1
2. Kenny A. A New History of Western Philosophy. Oxford University Press, 2010., pg. 1058 ISBN 978-0-19-958988-3
3. Bertrand R. The Problems of Philosophy. Pieejams: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/5827
4. Praktiskā filosofija. Jelgava: LLU, 2008. 549 lpp.
5. Apsīte L. Rietumeiropas filozofija 14.-18.gs. - R.: Zvaigzne ABC, 2000. - 267 lpp.

Further reading

1. Airaksinens T. Filosofijas pamati vidusskolai. Rīga, Zvaigzne ABC 2001. -136 lpp.
2. Bēgšana no brīvības? Ērihs Fromms un Latvija. Latvijas Universitātes Filozofijas un socioloģijas institūts, red. Šuvajevs I., Pieejams: https://dspace.lu.lv/dspace/bitstream/handle/7/31746/Begsana_no_brivibas.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
3. Dekarts R. Pārruna par metodi. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC. 2007., ISBN 978-9984-37-728-5.
4. Descartes R. Discourse on the Method. Pieejams: https://estudijas.llu.lv/pluginfile.php/293223/mod_resource/content/1/descartes1637.pdf
5. Fromm E. The Fear of Freedom. Pieejams: https://pescanik.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/erich-fromm-the-fear-of-freedom-escape-from-freedom.pdf

Periodicals and other sources

1. Satori: Pieejams: https://www.satori.lv/
2. The Foundation for Critical Thinking. Pieejams: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/a-brief-history-of-the-idea-of-critical-thinking/408
3. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Principal Editor: Edward N. Zalta. Pieejams: https://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html
4. Žurnāls "Rīgas Laiks" - ISSN 1407-1622. Pieejams: https://www.rigaslaiks.lv/

Notes

Compulsory study course for ESAF academic bachelor study program "Sociology of Organizations and Public Administration".