Entry requirements

A Bachelor’s degree (equivalent to a Swedish kandidatexamen) from an internationally recognised university

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students are expected to be able to:

• account for the overall history of the psy-disciplines and reflect upon their evolution in relation to social development, with particular focus on Europe and the USA during the twentieth century and until today;
• analyse historical examples of how knowledge production in the psy-disciplines have shaped the modern self and generated new ways to feel, act, and be in the world;
• critically and independently relate to relevant subject-historical research, and independently apply theoretical perspectives and concepts important to the field;
• critically reflect on the historicity of the self and the significance of the psy-disciplines, both historically and in contemporary society.

Content

This course introduces historical research on the psy-disciplines and their role in forming the modern Western self. How have psychoanalysts, behavioural scientists, neuroscientists and systems theorists contributed to shaping and reshaping the human subject from the beginning of the 20th century until today? How have different theories of the human psyche intervened in people's lives, made us understand ourselves and exist in the world in new ways? The course spans several fields of knowledge – from well-known theories such as psychoanalysis and behaviourism, to lesser-known ones such as cybernetics, systems theory and the humanistic therapies – and explores how they have contributed to renegotiations of both the human being and the institutions of society. The course also extends into the present, as we discuss what it means when contemporary neuroscience equates the brain with the self.

The course introduces the theoretical perspectives and concepts that form the basis of the field of historical research on the self, but places particular emphasis on analysing concrete historical examples of how psy-knowledge has been used and established in different areas of society. Discussion and analysis of empirical source material is therefore a central part of the course.

Instruction

The course consists of lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Students are assessed by written assignments as well as by active participation in the seminars.