10337 Historical Thinking: Issues in Philosophy of History 1

Credits: 6 advanced credits in Philosophy or in History

Prerequisites: 36 credits, including two courses in History, or one course in History and the course Philosophy of Science. Students must also fulfill all English requirements and take bibliographic instruction in the Library.

Author: Elazar Weinryb

The course is an introduction to philosophical and methodological discussions of the nature of history and its status as a discipline which supplies knowledge, and is intended primarily for students of history. It presents the main schools of thought in the philosophy of history and emphasizes methodological problems by examining the research results and the writings of historians.

Topics: Introduction – history and its philosophy; The event and its descriptions; Explanation; Causal relations; Understanding action; Knowing a different period; Discovery vs. construction; Post-colonialism; Objectivity in history; Historical narrative.

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1Students may write a seminar paper in this course, although it is not required.