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Magister Course in Theoretical Philosophy

The one-year Master’s course in theoretical philosophy offers an intellectually stimulating and supportive postgraduate environment. You will be taught and supervised by members of faculty who are internationally well connected and actively involved in research.

Rollcall and information about the course: September 3, 2024, 10-11 in D892.

The Master's course in theoretical philosophy includes such fields as philosophy of language, logic, epistemology, philosophy of science and the history of theoretical philosophy. The course is for students who are well-trained in analytical philosophy and who aim to pursue doctoral studies. It includes a thesis of 30 credits.

Admission

Admission is offered only once a year, for the autumn semester.

Application period

March 15–April 15, 2024

Requirements

Bachelor course in theoretical philosophy (90 ECTS credits) or equivalent.

Eligibility criteria

If there are more applications than positions, the positions will be allocated based on the grades and the relevance of academic courses, the quality/subject of the bachelor thesis and motivation letter. Please do not forget to upload the motivation letter when you apply!

About the motivation letter and writing sample

 

How to apply

Click on the application box in the right hand column.

  • Course structure

    The first semester: Four course units of 7,5 credits each

    Literature course 1, 1st half of semester: TBA, 7,5 credits.
    Description of course content: TBA
    Instructors: Henrik Lagerlund and Miira Tuominen.
    Examination: Assignments/essay

    Literature course 2, 1st half of semester: Atomism, 7.5 credits.
    Description of course content: The course will offer a philosophical survey of the evolution of conceptions of microphysical objects, from their purely philosophical roots in ancient atomism to the modern theories of elementary particles. We will look into a wide range of philosophical debates that were instigated or inspired by those developments.

    The course will look at the birth of atomism in ancient Greece (with a brief excursion to India),  the endorsement of atomist concepts in 17th century science, atomism’s empirical coming of age in the 19th century and its empirical confirmation in the early phases of the 20th century. We will also touch the conceptual changes of microphysics after the advent of quantum mechanics and the particle concept in contemporary particle physics.

    Philosophically, we will analyze the substantial shifts of perspective that characterized the evolution of atomism throughout the centuries, on its way from an entirely metaphysical to a profoundly physical hypothesis; the mutual influence exerted onto each other by philosophical and physical strands of atomist thinking; the way in which the modern realism debate in the philosophy of science amounts to a continuation of historical disputes on atomism.

    The course is directed primarily towards philosophy students at the Masters and PhD level but also towards physicists interested in the philosophical roots and the contextualization of microphysical concepts.

    Organization:
    The course consists of lecture elements and discussion. Each unit is accompanied by specific literature. The literature should be read by everyone in advance and will be addressed in our discussions.

    Instructor: Richard Dawid

    Examination: Assignments/essay

    Literature course 3, 2nd half of semester: The Philosophy of Perception
    Description of course content: TBA
    Instructor: Kathrin Glüer-Pagin
    Examination: Assignments/essay

    Literature course 4, 2nd half of semester:
    For the fourth course, the student will pick one of the courses we offer on the bachelor’s level (but will be individually examined). The courses to choose from are:
    •    Introduction to formal semantics, 7.5 credits [FIFS11] (lectures in English)
    •    Philosophy of physics, 7.5 credits [FIFY10] (lectures in English)
    •    Metaphysics: topics in theoretical philosophy, 7.5 credits [FIMEF0] (lectures in Swedish only)
    •    Logik II, 7.5 credits [FILO2G] (lectures in Swedish only)

    The student must pass the examinations of the first semester in order to proceed to the second semester.

    The second semester: Thesis work (30 credits)

    Instructor: Anders Schoubye

    The second semester consists of a thesis work (30 credits). The topic is elective but must be approved by the convenor and must fit the research profile of the members of the faculty. A supervisor will be allocated to the student, based on her or his project description. The final grade of the entire course is determined by the grade of the thesis. The exam of the thesis part consists in the thesis itself, a defence of it at a seminar, and an opposition on another student’s thesis at a seminar. It is recommended to study the grading criteria and the guidelines for the thesis.

    Since an entire semester is devoted to writing the thesis, the demands are higher than for a bachelor’s thesis, with respect to volume (approximately 40 pages), content, and degree of independence in the writing process. This is reflected in the grading criteria.

    Stilguide magisteruppsats

    Assessment

    Examination: Assignments/essay

    Grading criteria for Master’s thesis

  • Schedule

    The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course.

    Literature courses schedule

  • Course literature

    Note that the course literature can be changed up to two months before the start of the course.
  • Contact

    Student office

    Course convenor: Professor Anders Schoubye anders.schoubye@philosophy.su.se

    Director of studies: Mattias Högström mattias.hogstrom@philosophy.su.se