https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2025-2026/L_AABAAGO201After successfully completing this course, all studentsAre able to apply basic concepts and theories from the philosophy of science to the humanities in general and to their own specific discipline, and to use them in critically assessing studies relevant to their own disciplinesHave acquired an overview of the historical development and the most important theoretical approaches of the humanities and of their own specific disciplinesAre able to evaluate the limitations and possibilities of specific disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches in relation to research questions within their own disciplinesAre able to analyze philosophical and theoretical texts relevant to their own discipline, and to relate the concepts involved to their own disciplinesHave practiced discussing philosophical and theoretical concepts during the seminars. They are able to evaluate research papers related to their own discipline from a theoretical/methodological point of view and to form an opinion/take a position in discussions about this among peers.Have practiced academic writing skills and processing feedback while completing the weekly seminar assignments and leading up to the final assignment. They can reflect critically in writing on the research papers they have read and processed.GLTC-students (and Ancient Studies students specializing in either Latin or Greek) have gained practical experience with codicology, paleography, text-criticism and literary criticism and are able to reflect critically on methods and theoretical viewpoints in these domains.Modern academic disciplines are shaped and structured by philosophical concepts and doctrines. This course provides an overview of the history of philosophical thoughts and of philosophical debates about methodology, and their relevance to discussions of methodology, interdisciplinarity, and resource use in philology, cultural history, and archeology of antiquity. The general theoretical and methodological issues that form the basis of the historical development of science and humanities will be related to the study of the past through texts and material culture. Disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches will be discussed, with special attention to both limitations and possibilities. This course consists of one lecture and one seminar per week. The lectures are taught by a lecturer of the Department of Philosophy, on the base of a handbook. The seminars are taught by a lecturer from ACASA, and devoted to the discussion of a selection of key themes and relevant articles. Students will be trained in the close reading of philosophical texts that are crucial to the way their (inter)discipline organizes, produces, and structures knowledge. Students in the programmes of GLTC and Ancient Studies students specializing in either Latin or Greek follow a different seminar, in which the historical developments of the humanities disciplines are more specifically connected to the field of classics. They will focus on (and practice) paleography, text criticism and literary theory.Weekly lectures (2 hours/week); weekly seminars (2 hours/week)There will be a written exam for all students based on the handbook and the lectures. (50% of final grade) In the seminars, the students will work in groups towards a written essay/final assignment (50% of final grade), which is prepared for by means of weekly partial assignments. The resit regulations will be specified in the study manual.Gerard de Vries & Michiel Leezenberg, History and Philosophy of the Humanities: An Introduction. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2018. (paperback ISBN: 9789462987630 ; also available as e-book)Additional literature will be made available during the courseThis course is for second year BA students of Archaeology (ARCH), Classics (GLTC), and Ancient Studies (OHW).ACASA students must register via UvA https://glass.uva.nl This course is not open for elective students. Please note:Course registration periods between VU and UvA differ.This course is scheduled at the University of Amsterdam.This course is part of a joined programme by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). It is taught at a UvA location. For the course schedule see https://rooster.uva.nl/