Objectives and competences

The master's degree in Contemporary Thought and Classical Tradition provides an overview of the most important writers and issues in contemporary thought, encouraging students to consider how contemporary issues acquire more profound significance when viewed from a historical perspective. The course examines contemporary schools of thought such as hermeneutics, post-structuralism and philosophies of difference while also requiring students to consider the contemporary and classical roots of philosophy.
El màster s’estructura en tres especialitats que tracten els temes i els corrents que més han influït i continuen influint en la configuració de la nostra cultura i la nostra visió del món.

The master's degree Contemporary Thought and Classical Tradition reflects the interest among students of philosophy and related disciplines ' as well as students outside the arts and humanities ' in the history of thought and its role in shaping contemporary culture. The program responds to this interest by critically examining texts written by the great thinkers of our cultural tradition, not only from a retrospective perspective but also from a prospective one, enabling students to bring well-founded considerations to bear in the debate on the nature of socio-cultural problems in today's society.

The program is structured into three specializations with a common foundation of five core subjects, addressing issues and trends which have influenced and continue to influence the shaping of our culture and world view through the use of methodological tools for research in philosophy and related disciplines.

Basic information

TypeMaster's degree
Faculty or schoolFaculty of Philosophy
Branch of knowledge
  • History, archaeology, geography, philosophy and humanities
  • Philology, classical studies, translation and linguistics
Mode of delivery
  • Face-to-face
Credits60
Number of places available40
Length of course1 academic year
Language(s) of instructionCatalan and Spanish (according to subject)
Approximate price per credit27.67 euros per credit (82 euros for students who are not EU nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). Fees for the academic year 2023-2024
CoordinationANTONIO CASTILLA CEREZO
E-mailmaster.pctc@ub.edu
Course detailsIndicators
Open pre-enrolmentYes
Open enrolmentNo
Lead to doctoral studiesYes
Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualificationNo
Bridging coursesYes
Specializations
  • Classical Thought
  • Contemporary Thought
  • Modern Thought

Objectives and competences

Objectives

The goal of this program is to provide advanced education in the history of thought and its different facets (philosophical, linguistic and social) from the inception of rational thought in ancient Greece to the present day. Students will acquire the tools to access and critically examine key texts by authors who have contributed decisively to shaping how we think and live in society. The texts will be studied in their original language whenever possible.

This general focus will be articulate through a multidisciplinary approach, in line with the nature of the subject matter, although the backbone of course will consist of historical and systematic study of the central themes that have been and continue to be of key importance in the sphere of philosophy.

The program will be research-orientated, although other competences will be indirectly acquired, many of which are applicable in a range of professional settings, particularly in the field of education.

Competences

In addition to the basic and general competences that university studies aim to promote, particularly those with greater relevance in philosophy, this master's degree also aims to provide students with the following specific competences (SC):

  • SC1. Ability to comprehend philosophical texts in their original language, at least when written in one of the great languages of culture.
  • SC2. Capacity to distinguish between the concepts underlying the formulation of seemingly identical or very similar philosophical ideas.
  • SC3. Ability to identify conceptual coincidences and similarities between different formulations of philosophical ideas.
  • SC4. Capacity to understand the inter-dependency of different theoretical and practical concepts.
  • SC5. Ability to organize different philosophical concepts into coherent frameworks (concept maps).
  • SC6. Capacity to recognize the influences of particular cultural trends on other areas of culture.
  • SC7. Capacity to interpret philosophical texts from other eras without anachronism.
  • SC8. Capacity to put the various components of a particular philosophical doctrine in hierarchical order, distinguishing between fundamental aspects and secondary themes.
  • SC9. Ability to distinguish which of the ideas expressed by the author of a philosophical text are truly original and which are not.
  • SC10. Capacity to locate the most up-to-date and relevant literature for each topic, in particular general bibliography and critical editions.


IMPORTANT: Since this master's degree is structured into several specializations, some specific competences correspond to certain specializations and not others (i.e. some may be restricted to the compulsory subjects within each specialization):

  • Specialization A: SC1, SC7
  • Specialization B: SC2, SC4
  • Specialization C: SC3, SC6


All other competences will de developed across all three specializations.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Regardless of previous qualifications, all students must possess the general academic maturity to work with highly abstract concepts. In accordance with the requirements of each specialization, students must possess or commit to acquiring certain basic skills in some of the languages of the dominant cultures in the historical period of their chosen specialization.

Access requirements and conditions

General requirements
In accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, students wishing to be admitted to a university master's degree must hold one of the following qualifications:

  • Official Spanish university degree.

  • A degree issued by a higher education institution within the European Higher Education Area framework that authorizes the holder to access university master's degree courses in the country of issue.

  • A qualification issued by an institution outside the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this case, applicants must request homologation of the degree to its equivalent official Spanish university qualification or obtain express approval from the University of Barcelona, which will conduct a study of equivalence to ensure that the degree is of a comparable level to an official Spanish university qualification and that it grants access to university master's degree study in the country of issue. Admission shall not, in any case, imply that prior qualifications have been recognized as equivalent to a Spanish master's degree and does not confer recognition for any purposes other than that of admission to the master's degree course.

Specific requirements
Candidates holding llicenciatura or EHEA bachelor's degrees, or recognized national equivalents, in one of the following subjects or a closely related discipline will have priority for acceptance on this master's degree course:

  • Philosophy
  • Philology
  • History
  • Humanities
  • Education Sciences
  • History of Art
  • Fine Arts


Students coming from a bachelor's degree not listed above must take bridging courses during the first year of the master's degree. You can find more information on the last page of the course plan.

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

20 February - 5 July 2024.

Notes:

  • Pre-enrolment fee: A pre-enrolment fee of 30,21 euros is charged. Students who apply to more than one master's degree must pay the fee for each pre-enrolment request. Pre-enrolment requests cannot be processed until this fee has been paid.Fees will only be refunded if the master's degree in question is suspended.
  • Reserved places: A maximum of 5% of the new places of the master's degree are reserved for students who meet the general and specific access requirements and accredit the recognition of a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%.

Required documentation

  • Pre-enrolment application
  • Photocopy of degree certificate or equivalent qualification. In case of admission, foreign degrees that require so should be translated and authenticated through diplomatic channels before completing the enrolment.
  • Other specific documentation related to the selection criteria

Selection criteria

If demand exceeds the number of places offered, the Admission Committee will select candidates on the basis of the following criteria:

  • Academic transcript (maximum 5 points).

  • Previous training in philosophy, philology, history, humanities, education sciences, art history or fine arts (maximum 2 points).

  • The candidate's reasons for applying (assessed in an interview with the Coordinator; maximum 2 points).

  • References provided by previous teachers (maximum 1 point).

Notification

The Coordination Committee is responsible for evaluating applications and selecting candidates. Successful students will receive notification via email; the full admission list is then published by the Coordination Committee.

Those candidates who do not agree with the selection may choose to lodge an appeal with the Academic Committee, which will review the application and issue a definitive decision.

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

Type ECTS
Compulsory 25
Optional 20
Compulsory placements 0
Compulsory final project 15
TOTAL 60

List of subjects

Subject Type Language Credits
Specialization: BC for admission to the Master's Degree in Contemporary Thought and Classical Tradition
History of Ancient Philosophy I Optional 1st semester 6
History of Ancient Philosophy II Optional 2nd semester 6
History of Contemporary Philosophy I Optional 1st semester 6
History of Contemporary Philosophy II Optional 2nd semester 6
History of Modern Philosophy I Optional 1st semester 6
History of Modern Philosophy II Optional 2nd semester 6

Bridging courses

Subject Type Language Credits
Specialization: Classical Thought
Archaic Thought Optional 1st semester 5
Aristotelian Readings Compulsory 2nd semester 5
Classic Thought and Western Culture Optional 2nd semester 5
Contemporary Aesthetics Optional 1st semester 5
Contemporary Ethics and Political Philosophy Optional 1st semester 5
Critical Theory of Society Optional 1st semester 5
Experience and Otherness Optional 2nd semester 5
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 15
German Idealism: From Kant to Hegel Compulsory 1st semester 5
Next to Nihilism Optional 2nd semester 5
Philosophy and Experience Optional 2nd semester 5
Philosophy and Hermeneutics Optional 1st semester 5
Philosophy of the Mind Compulsory 1st semester 5
Platonic Readings Optional 1st semester 5
Politics and Subjectivity in Modernity and Postmodernity Optional 1st semester 5
Renaissance and Modernity Optional 2nd semester 5
Research Methodology Compulsory 1st semester 5
The Age of Reason Optional 2nd semester 5
The Subject in Philosophy Compulsory 1st semester 5
The Theological-Political Problem in Modern Philosophy Optional 2nd semester 5
Tragedy and the Tragic Optional 2nd semester 5
Specialization: Contemporary Thought
Archaic Thought Optional 1st semester 5
Aristotelian Readings Compulsory 2nd semester 5
Classic Thought and Western Culture Optional 2nd semester 5
Contemporary Aesthetics Optional 1st semester 5
Contemporary Ethics and Political Philosophy Optional 1st semester 5
Critical Theory of Society Optional 1st semester 5
Experience and Otherness Optional 2nd semester 5
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 15
German Idealism: From Kant to Hegel Compulsory 1st semester 5
Next to Nihilism Optional 2nd semester 5
Philosophy and Experience Optional 2nd semester 5
Philosophy and Hermeneutics Optional 1st semester 5
Philosophy of the Mind Compulsory 1st semester 5
Platonic Readings Optional 1st semester 5
Politics and Subjectivity in Modernity and Postmodernity Optional 1st semester 5
Renaissance and Modernity Optional 2nd semester 5
Research Methodology Compulsory 1st semester 5
The Age of Reason Optional 2nd semester 5
The Subject in Philosophy Compulsory 1st semester 5
The Theological-Political Problem in Modern Philosophy Optional 2nd semester 5
Tragedy and the Tragic Optional 2nd semester 5
Specialization: Modern Thought
Archaic Thought Optional 1st semester 5
Aristotelian Readings Compulsory 2nd semester 5
Classic Thought and Western Culture Optional 2nd semester 5
Contemporary Aesthetics Optional 1st semester 5
Contemporary Ethics and Political Philosophy Optional 1st semester 5
Critical Theory of Society Optional 1st semester 5
Experience and Otherness Optional 2nd semester 5
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 15
German Idealism: From Kant to Hegel Compulsory 1st semester 5
Next to Nihilism Optional 2nd semester 5
Philosophy and Experience Optional 2nd semester 5
Philosophy and Hermeneutics Optional 1st semester 5
Philosophy of the Mind Compulsory 1st semester 5
Platonic Readings Optional 1st semester 5
Politics and Subjectivity in Modernity and Postmodernity Optional 1st semester 5
Renaissance and Modernity Optional 2nd semester 5
Research Methodology Compulsory 1st semester 5
The Age of Reason Optional 2nd semester 5
The Subject in Philosophy Compulsory 1st semester 5
The Theological-Political Problem in Modern Philosophy Optional 2nd semester 5
Tragedy and the Tragic Optional 2nd semester 5

Previous years

Placements

Placements in a company or another type of organization are an integral part of university studies, providing first-hand experience of working methodologies in students' chosen professional fields. They offer invaluable practical experience for the transition into work after graduation.



Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment. They are therefore included in the academic record.  There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 750 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.



Institutional information


Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

- Access to doctoral programmes that prepare professionals for university life and work.
- Research and teaching in universities or secondary education.
- Cultural management and mediation.
- Tasks in the communication and dissemination of thought, particularly in the publishing and multimedia markets.
- Analysis and consultancy in the fields of politics and trade unions and in social and cultural projects.

Access to the labour market

Data from the university system in Catalonia

Contact us

Faculty of Philosoy
Montalegre, 6 - 08001 Barcelona

Secretary: 934 037 722 - 934 037 719
secretariafilosofia@ub.edu

Coordinator: 93 403 75 16
master.pctc@ub.edu