Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Organization

BTK Institute of Philosophy

Code

BBN-FIL18-402.156

Title

Elective course in philosophy: The Philosophy of Fantasy

Usual semester

Autumn

ECTS

4

Language

en

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to explore philosophical questions about fantasy as a narrative genre.

Course content

This is an English-language course on fantasy as a narrative genre (not about psychology or psychoanalysis). Fantasy is one of the most recognizable narrative genres: everyone knows Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Its roots go back thousands of years to ancient myths and legends, and it spans an incredibly wide spectrum that includes LoTR-style heroic tales as well as dark fantasy (Witcher, Dark Crystal...), paranormal romance (Twilight), urban fantasy (Dresden Files, Constantine, Highlander...), magical realism (Borges), and much more. It is also a highly polymorph genre that is present in literature, films, comic books, computer games, and tabletop roleplaying games. Despite its prevalence, fantasy is rarely discussed in philosophy. This is in stark contrast with science fiction, which is very often invoked in, and shares some of the themes of, contemporary (analytic) philosophy. The goal of this seminar is to explore how fantasy works and what kind of philosophical problems it presents.

Assessment method

BA and non-philosophy MA: 2 in-class tests (midterm and final; 20 Oct and 8 Dec) (2 x 35 points) Short tests at the beginning of classes about the readings (10 x 5 points) The midterm and final tests will be based on the readings. They will consist of multiple-choice questions and short questions about the texts, and an essay question. If you miss one or both tests, there will be a make-up test session in the first week of the exam period (probably 16 December). Grading: 0–59 points F, 60–69 points D, 70–79 points C, 80–89 points B, 90+ points A. Philosophy or logic MA: Same as the BA requirements but the tests will be harder. PhD: 1. In-class presentation of one of the readings, and 2. essay (min. 2000 words, deadline: 11 January). Late submission incurs a –1 grade penalty per week (–1 from 12 January, –2 from 19 January etc.). Essays written by ChatGPT result in an F.

Bibliography

The readings will be announced in the first week of the term.

Programmes of the course