Classics of Western Thought

This course gives you the opportunity to properly acquaint yourself with a selection of the main theoretical works in the Western tradition. At the same time, you will acquire a basic understanding of intellectual developments in the West from classical antiquity to the modern era.

The readings introduce some of the most important ideas in the history of thought, including contributions to philosophy, religion, politics, and science. And, as you will discover, these texts are in many cases also wonderful pieces of writing and a pleasure to read. 

During the course, different approaches to the reading of theoretical texts will be discussed and evaluated, including close reading, historical contextualization, and various critical interpretations. Hence, the concept of the classic will be dealt with from both a critical and historical perspective. 

The ideas contained in these classics have been hugely influential and in many ways remain with us - which serves as a good reason why we should understand where they came from originally, and what problems they were intended to solve. These and other questions will be treated during the course.

https://www.kultur.lu.se/en/course/ILHB33