https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/L_YABAALG201Course goal: The focus of this course will be on Intercultural Philosophy. You will learn how philosophy helps to reflect on humanity and reality, and does so in culturally differentiated ways. Learning objectives: 1) You will get insight into how philosophers/philosophy help(s) to understand one’s own culture and that of others 2) You will acquire tools to critically question the claims to universal reason of ‘Western’ thinking 3) you are able to critically reflect on how your own cultural background influences your understanding 4) You can reflect in a philosophical manner, both collectively (in seminars) and individually (through assignments)Philosophy is a discipline that focuses more on questions than answers. Examples of philosophical questions are: What is reality? What can human beings know? How can different research disciplines translate their results for each other? How can you lead a good life? How can earthlings deal with their finitude? In this course, we will investigate how philosophers from different cultures have approached such questions. We will also reflect on how the study of intercultural philosophical dialogue questions the idea that there is one universal reason, that roots in the European Enlightenment. Finally, we will investigate how we can produce our own reflections, on life, on reality, and on our academic discipline. Dialogue with the texts of famous thinkers as well as practice in writing down our reflections are important parts of the course.Lectures and seminars. In total 8 contact hours per week. Self study and active participation are required. This course has seminars, but you cannot self-register for a group. If you want to know the times of all the workgroups, go to rooster.vu.nl, click on the options at the right hand side of the course title and select ‘Choose groups’. In the first week, your specific work group will be assigned by the course coordinator.1) Personal Study Assignments (PSAs) to prepare for the seminars(pass/fail, assessment of learning objectives 3 and 4)2) Take home exam (grade, assessment of learning objectives 1 and 2).Final grade has to be at least 5,5.will be announced and/or made available on Canvas.Students of CIS, L&S, MADA (2nd year).Obligatory 2nd year course. Attendance of seminars is obligatory. If astudent misses a seminar session, s/he has to do an extra assigment. Complete procedure is described in the course manual.