General provisions

The course is given as an independent course.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Learning outcomes

In order to pass, the student must at the end of the course be able to:

• identify the main areas, problems, and Sanskrit concepts of Indian Philosophy;
• approach critically, summarise, and explain orally and in a written form short fragments of text of and on Indian Philosophy;
• begin to relate and compare problems of Indian Philosophy within a wider philosophic discourse;
• create their own short texts critically analysing one specific topic of Indian Philosophy.

Content

The course contains the following thematic units:

• What is Indian Philosophy? Definition of Indian Philosophy as an area of academic inquiry.
• Who am I? Philosophy of the Self (ātman).
• What is Brahman? Philosophy of the absolute (brahman).
• How do I know? Inquiry into the means of knowledge (pramāṇavāda).
• What can I know? Inquiry into the range of the knowable (prameyavāda).
• What is the highest good? Inquiry into liberation (mokṣa).

Instruction

The teaching consists of lectures, exercises, group work, and examinatory parts. The student's own learning activities are essential for completion of the course.

Assessment

The assessment of the course consists of three different parts:

• Part A. Formative assessment: throughout the course three different methods for Assessing Skill in Synthesis and Creative Thinking will be used: a) Word Journal, b) Approximate Analogies, and c) Concept Maps.
• Part B. Group Work: the class will be divided in small groups which will have to a) choose among five topics (reflected in a fragment of text) facilitated by the instructor, b) document, summarise, contextualise, and present the chosen topic to the other groups in a formal class presentation. Each group performance of Group Work will be assessed by peers and by the instructor. Final assessment of Group Work will result from a combination of peers' assessment and the assessment of the instructor. Both group assessment and instructor assessment of Group Work will follow the above specified criteria.
• Part C. Final examination: text analysis (three texts will be provided, the students choose one) to be written at home.