Learning outcome

After successfully completing the course, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes-

The candidate has:

• Knowledge of the main currents of ideas in the Age of Enlightenment, as they are expressed in philosophical, political, religious and aesthetic contexts
• Knowledge of the central texts in the Age of Enlightenment that convey ideas
• Knowledge of people who have been influential in relation to the history of ideas in the Age of Enlightenment
• The ability to interpret material from the Age Enlightenment, both as expressions of the contemporary period and as historical sources in relation to our own thinking and modes of expression

Course Description

The student will encounter study materials from different fields with regard to ideas, such as philosophy, religion and the arts. Emphasis will be placed on the relationships between ideas within specific contexts, while one will be able to see how related thought patterns are found in different contexts. Much of the text material is in English.
The course curriculum is composed of two modules; approx. two thirds of the study materials consist of a number of short texts from several thematic contexts, while the remaining third consists of longer texts that deal with a limited theme. The main module – the ‘overview module’ - provides a broad overview of important thought patterns within different subject areas in the period covered by the course. The smaller module – the ‘specialization module’ - provides the opportunity to specialize in a given thematic area within the same period. Students will write a supervised term paper related to the curriculum of the specialization module.

Teaching and Learning Methods

The core activity of the course will be working with specific texts and other types of expression produced in the Age of Enlightenment. Working with the text commentaries and overview literature, which place the various types of historical expressions in perspective, will also be included in the course. The text material in the overview module is thoroughly commented on in the digital lectures available on the internet, which makes it easier for students to work independently with the texts.
Students work primarily on their own with the curriculum materials in the specialization module, since the texts are not covered by the lectures in the same manner as in the overview module. Support for the specialization module will take the form of personal guidance when students are working on their term papers.

Assessment Methods

The student will write a supervised term paper related to the curriculum of the specialization module, while a final examination will assess the student in relation to the overview module (see ‘content’ above).

The assessment will evaluate the extent of knowledge, understanding, and skills that the student has acquired throughout the course (see ‘learning outcomes’ above). The college examination uses a grading system (A to F), where E represents the lowest passing grade. The term paper will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. The student must receive a pass mark in order to be awarded a final passing grade for the course.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean