Postgraduate units taught in English

Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art

Code: FIL5.920204

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:Philosophical analysis of the nature of the work of art. We will examine the aesthetic theories proposed by Kant, Schelling, Hegel, Tolstoy, Bell, Stolnitz, Weitz, Danto, Beardsley, Dickie, Goodman, Gadamer, Anderson and Levinson.

Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art

Code: FIL5.920205

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:Philosophical analysis of the nature of the work of art. We will examine the aesthetic theories proposed by Kant, Schelling, Hegel, Tolstoy, Bell, Stolnitz, Weitz, Danto, Beardsley, Dickie, Goodman, Gadamer, Anderson and Levinson.

Cultural Policies

Code: TEA5.920282

ECTS: 6

Objectives:This seminar offers a general introduction to the concepts and practices of administration and production in the field of the arts, as well as perspectives to study performing arts in its relation to the political, economic, cultural and artistic fields. It allows the recognition of some of the challenges that the institutional and the market context represent to the culture management: to know Portuguese legislation on cultural and artistic institutions, as well as their legislative and institutional framework in the context of the European Community (and other attractive markets outside Europe).

Epistemology and Philosophy of Science

Code: FIL5.920530

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:It is offered in this course an elaboration on some basic questions in relation to knowledge, in geral, and to science, in particular. More specifically, questions like the analysis of knowledge, knowledge by testimony (and social epistemology), as well as the frame that squares contemporary discussions about the nature of science will be systematically approached.

Epistemology and Philosophy of Science

Code: FIL5.920531

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:It is offered in this course an elaboration on some basic questions in relation to knowledge, in geral, and to science, in particular. More specifically, questions like the analysis of knowledge, knowledge by testimony (and social epistemology), as well as the frame that squares contemporary discussions about the nature of science will be systematically approached.

Ethics and Political Philosophy

Code: FIL5.920531

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:This course unit will focus on contemporary topics, namely in the analysis of the problem of justice, as it is developed by John Rawls and its critics (such as Robert Nozick and Michael Sandel).

Foundations of Cognitive Science

Code: FIL5.311424

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:This course covers a range of topic in philosophy of mind from an empirical perspective. We begin with the language of thought model and the classical computational theory of mind. We then study Searle’s Chinese Room objection. We consider various possibilities including functional role semantics, causal theories of content, and teleosemantics. We then turn to connectionist cognitive architectures and question whether concepts like belief and desire will be eliminated as cognitive science progresses. Finally, we introduce the neural correlates of consciousness programme, and study some of the techniques available to cognitive scientists engaged in the search for the neural substrates of conscious experience.

Introduction to Cognitive Science

Code: COG4.555926

ECTS: 6

Objectives:This course covers a range of topic in philosophy of mind from an empirical perspective. We begin with the language of thought model and the classical computational theory of mind. We then study Searle’s Chinese Room objection. We consider various possibilities including functional role semantics, causal theories of content, and teleosemantics. We then turn to connectionist cognitive architectures and question whether concepts like belief and desire will be eliminated as cognitive science progresses. Finally, we introduce the neural correlates of consciousness programme, and study some of the techniques available to cognitive scientists engaged in the search for the neural substrates of conscious experience.

Metaphysics

Code: FIL5.920534

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:This course introduces several of the central topics in metaphysics. We will begin by focusing on foundational issues relating to the nature of things and properties, the relationship between things and their properties, and the nature of space and time. We then move on to study some applied metaphysics, covering topics including the problem of material constitution, the persistence of things over time, personal identity, the nature of mind, and freewill.

Modern and Contemporary Philosophy

Code: FIL5.920533

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:This seminar will revolve around the problem of induction. We will beginn by considering David Hume’s treatment of it and proceed to the consideration of different attempts at solving Hume’s problem, namely, the attempts made by Kant, Reichenbach, Popper, Black, Goldman and van Cleve.

Philosophy of Language, Logic and Mind

Code: FIL5.920519

ECTS: 7,5

Objectives:In this course, we cover, at an intermediate and advanced level, central issues in the philosophy of language, logic and mind, such as the nature of truth and reference, contextualism, conditionals, vagueness, mental content, functionalism or the problem of qualia.

Philosophy of Language, Mind and Cognition

Code: COG5.555929

ECTS: 6

Objectives:It is offered in this course an approach to the themes of mind, language and cognition unified through the perspectives of Bertrand Russell. Thus, (i) as far as mind is concerned, we start from his “neutral monism” to deal with the more general mind-body question; (ii) as far as language is concerned, with his variant of “logical atomism” to address the more general question of the meaning of linguistic items; and (iii) with regard to cognition, with his distinction “knowledge by acquaintance / knowledge by description” to deal with proposicional knowledge and other issues.

Phonetics: Prosody – Language Acquisition and Processing

Code: LIN5.920051

ECTS: 12

Objectives:In this course we study prosody as the organizational structure of speech, including rhythm and intonation, how prosody is acquired and its role in language development, and how it shapes language processing and contributes to meaning.

Problems in Classical Studies I

Code: CLA4.920286

ECTS: 6

Objectives:The course envisages the introduction of Master degree students to the world of research in Classical Studies. The objectives of the course are: (1) to have students contact with the adequate instruments for research in Classical Studies; (2) to train students in the production of scientific work (articles, book chapters, reviews, Master’s dissertation; emphasis will be put in the task of structuring a project); (3) introduce the students to different perspectives and/or research areas in Classical Studies.