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Philosophy

Language of instruction

lithuanian

Qualification degree and (or) qualification to be awarded

Bachelor of Humanities

Place of delivery

Kaunas, K. Donelaičio g. 58, LT-44248

Institution that has carried out assessment

No data

Institution that has performed accreditation, accreditation term

Studijų kokybės vertinimo centras, 6/30/2021

Data provided or updated (date)

6/7/2021

Order on accreditation

SV6-17
More about programme

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Summary of the Profile

General Description:
Objective(s) of a study programme:
To develop broad humanities specialists who are familiar with classical and modern philosophy, able to think analytically and creatively, capable of operating in a variety of professional and civic situations including active engagement in public debates and the formation of public opinion, possessing skills of logical analysis, argumentation, dialectical thinking, and phenomenological and hermeneutical methodologies, and who are able to apply these skills in the analysis and evaluation of the cultural, social and political problems or events.
In order to ensure active and successful involvement of the graduates in social and cultural activities, the programme presents an opportunity for the students to select their specializations from the first year onwards, which allows them to steer their studies in a way that they find the most appealing professionally. The specializations are as follows: 1) Contemporary philosophy of art, 2) Philosophy of communication and technologies, 3) Social and political critique. This will allow the students to get a clear view on how their philosophical competences are to be applied in one or another sphere of cultural activities, resulting in gradual involvement in professional creative activities before the graduation (e.g., in communication companies, cultural institutions, non-governmental organizations, etc.). All graduates of the philosophy programme will receive a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with their specializations indicated in the diploma supplement. We believe that the preparation of the students and their developed additional competences – alongside the confirmation thereof in the graduation documents – will allow them to obtain their desired spot in the job market.
Learning outcomes:
To be able to assess the limits of philosophy as a field of inquiry; to know and describe the classical and contemporary philosophical traditions as well as their origins and assumptions; to analyze the shifts in the limits of philosophy; to indicate the limits and functions of philosophy within the boundaries of different classical theories and strands in various historical periods; to compare different conceptions of philosophy in various periods and schools of thought.
To know and be able to use correctly the key philosophical concepts and peculiarities of argumentation within different philosophical traditions while working in various cultural contexts (against the background of contemporary art, communication, technologies, or social and political phenomena); to link them to the main trends in the current cultural and social research.
In attempt to critically evaluate and contextualize contemporary cultural phenomena, the graduates will be able to interpret and assess the development of cultural and social phenomena through the application of knowledge and methods pertaining to different branches of philosophy (ethics, aesthetics, ontology, epistemology).
To be able to analyze, interpret, evaluate, and demonstrate the suitability of different philosophical theories for justifying research on social and cultural processes as well as on contemporary art trends; to carry out independent research on different cultural, social, and political phenomena based on one’s selected theories as well as to professionally and rigorously apply philosophical knowledge in interdisciplinary research (in the context of humanities and social sciences).
To be able to analyze the main philosophical concepts and theories; to articulate the problems and goals of theoretical philosophical research as well as to structurize the research process and findings; to present one’s research in a way that meets the formal requirements of academic writing in terms of language and style; to present a completed study according to the requirements of professional academic discourse.
To be able to consistently, logically, and critically interpret various modern cultural phenomena as well as their development through the application of knowledge and methods pertaining to different branches of philosophy (ethics, aesthetics, ontology, epistemology).
In attempt to uncover the relations and contexts within contemporary philosophical traditions, the graduates will be able to analyze the development of philosophy by linking its various stages to specific philosophical texts, theories, strands, tendencies, and the most important schools of thought; to indicate the limits and assumptions of philosophical theories.
To be able to understand and carry out independent analysis on the links between specific periods of philosophical thought in the context of different social and cultural developments; to analyze the influence of philosophical theories on the developments in other branches of humanities and social sciences (history of art, communication, and political theory); to be able to justify the value and necessity of social, political, and cultural critique through philosophical means, to examine social, political, and practical problems in the context of philosophy; to be able to write academic texts in contemporary foreign languages.
To be able to apply the knowledge of the history of philosophy in scholarly, cultural, and social activities (in collaboration with experts in different fields: political scientists, art critics, or communication specialists).
To be able to reason creatively and critically, find creative conceptual solutions to interdisciplinary scientific problems, to fluently and convincingly express oneself and to present arguments in spoken or written form; to be able to contribute to solving relevant social, political, aesthetic, or communication problems.
To be able to think logically and critically, formulate and address various philosophically relevant problems, interpret texts, make decisions, independently expand one’s knowledge, and to be able to consistently improve one’s professional skills.
To understand the moral responsibility for one’s actions and their effects on the society, economy, cultural development, wellbeing, and environment.
Activities of teaching and learning:
Emphasis on student-centered education: discussions, group work, literature analysis, case studies, practical work, individual work, prepared presentations. Students execute individual assignments; team-based assignments are also performed; in both instances emphasis is given to critical thinking and problem-solving. The program aims to actively involve students in the learning process and to empower students through problem-solving practice and skills.
Methods of assessment of learning achievements:
The program applies the cumulative ten-point rating system to knowledge and skills assessment. Study results are evaluated during coursework (e.g. exams, individual and group assignments and their presentation and delivery, colloquiums, and practical assignments justfied by student defenses, etc.). The final assessment (grade) is formed by the sum of in-course evaluations and exam marks. In the last semester the student prepares, executes, and defends an undergraduate thesis.
Framework:
Study subjects (modules), practical training:
General university education requirements: Philosophy; The Natural Sciences‘ Conception of the World; the Development of Modern Lithuania. And optionally one study subject from the following sub-groups:
1) Biomedical and Physical Sciences (students can choose topics such as environmental science, Astronomy, Biology, Information Society Technologies, Statistics, etc.);
2) Human Sciences (History of Civilization, The Old Lithuanian Worldview, Rhetoric and Communication, Religion, and others.);
3) Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Education Science, Law, etc.);
4) Arts (architecture, audiovisual arts, art, photography, etc.)
5) Economics and Management (Economics, Entrepreneurship Introduction, Management, Economic Geography, etc.).
Program subject requirements:
Philosophy of Antiquity
Philosophical foundations: logic and argumentation
Philosophical methodology and language
Philosophical foundations: ethics
Medieval philosophy
Philosophical foundations: metaphysics
Social philosophy
Philosophy of the Renaissance and the early modern period
Philosophical foundations: dialectics
Philosophical foundations: phenomenology
Cultural phenomenology
Modern philosophy
Applied ethics
Philosophical foundations: aesthetics and evaluation of art
Term paper (specialization-based)
Psychoanalysis as philosophy: key concepts
Political philosophy
Phenomenology of imagination and memory
Feminist philosophy
Poststructuralist critique
Contemporary realisms
Biopolitical theories
New philosophical trends (special course for visiting professors)
Philosophy of technology
Specializations: optional subjects in the Department of Philosophy (12 ECTS, 2 subjects must be chosen):
Philosophical foundations: ethics
Medieval philosophy
Ecosophy (groups I and III)
History of utopias and dystopias (groups I and III)
Philosophical narratology and theories of time (groups II and III)
Intersections between religious and philosophical reasoning (groups II and III)
Philosophy and literature (groups I and II)
Philosophy of music (groups I and II)
Specializations: optional subjects in other departments of MVU (18 ECTS, 3 subjects must be chosen)
Group II: basics of computer graphics
Group II: Cinema industry
Group II: Art studies and mediation
Group I: Political sociology and anthropology
Group I: Social inequality and exclusion
Group I: Human rights and democratization
Group I: Political sociology and anthropology
Group I: Social inequality and exclusion
Group I: Human rights and democratization
Group I: Classical sociological theories
Group I: Religious sociology and anthropology
Group II: Basics of video art
Group II: Creative city
Group III: Basics of public relations
Group III: Internet technologies (MIT)
Group I: Gender sociology
Group I: Introduction to comparative politics
Group II: Art and communication
Group II: Basics of cultural politics
Group III: Principles of multimodal communication
Group III: Audiovisual technologies II (MIT)
Practice:
Educational practicum; qualifying practicum
Specialisations:
Social and political critique (group I)
Contemporary philosophy of art (group II)
Philosophy of communication and technologies (group III)
Optional courses:
Specializations: optional subjects in the Department of Philosophy (12 ECTS, 2 subjects must be chosen):
Philosophical foundations: ethics
Medieval philosophy
Ecosophy (groups I and III)
History of utopias and dystopias (groups I and III)
Philosophical narratology and theories of time (groups II and III)
Intersections between religious and philosophical reasoning (groups II and III)
Philosophy and literature (groups I and II)
Philosophy of music (groups I and II)
Specializations: optional subjects in other departments of MVU (18 ECTS, 3 subjects must be chosen)
Group II: basics of computer graphics
Group II: Cinema industry
Group II: Art studies and mediation
Group I: Political sociology and anthropology
Group I: Social inequality and exclusion
Group I: Human rights and democratization
Group I: Political sociology and anthropology
Group I: Social inequality and exclusion
Group I: Human rights and democratization
Group I: Classical sociological theories
Group I: Religious sociology and anthropology
Group II: Basics of video art
Group II: Creative city
Group III: Basics of public relations
Group III: Internet technologies (MIT)
Group I: Gender sociology
Group I: Introduction to comparative politics
Group II: Art and communication
Group II: Basics of cultural politics
Group III: Principles of multimodal communication
Group III: Audiovisual technologies II (MIT)
Distinctive features of a study programme:
The program Philosophy at Vytautas Magnus University emphasizes contemporary philosophy and critical theory in a broad approach, which combines interdisciplinary philosophical considerations of contemporary sociological, anthropological, economic, and psychological exploration.
The program will focus on harmoniously blending fundamental education in philosophy (ethics, aesthetics, dialectics, phenomenology, contemporary epistemology, metaphysics, post-structuralism) with the subjects of critique, studies in critical theory, cultural and civil activism and inovations, as well as learning philosophical writing. The history of philosophy, which is often a strong emphasis in classical philosophy programs, in this case will be presented in every course, and aditionally analysed in the four special courses: The history of philosophy as a philosophical problem, The history of utopias and dystopias, Philosophy of 16th-18th centuries and Philosophy of 19th-20th centuries. This should help to solve problems associated with the hermetic qualities of fundamental philosophical research. The program will also offer applied and practical courses: for example, Theories of sovereignty; Psychoanalysis as philosophy; Philosophy and film; Feminist philosophy; Philosophy and music; Ecosophy; Theories of biopolitics; Applied Ethics, etc.
Access to professional activity or further study:
Access to professional activity:
Graduates of the program Philosophy will be able to work in cultural, scientific, education and public communication offices, state and European Union institutions, and other companies whose activities require professional skills and conceptual analysis informed by innovative and interdisciplinary thinking; they can work in media, marketing and market research, advertising, and can provide business advisory services to institutions; graduates will be able to engage in independent creative social and organizational activity, bringing together active cultural and social groups, and setting up non-governmental organizations.
Access to further study:
Graduates will be able to continue their studies of philosophy, sociology, social anthrology, semiotics, public communication and political science in master's degree programs in Lithuania and abroad.