Not offered in 2008
The development of hermeneutics from a theory of textual interpretation to a theory of understanding in the work of Heidegger, Gadamer and Habermas. Its application in the study of literature and history in the work of Hirsch, Betti, Ricoeur and Jauss. Issues include the conflict between subjectivity and objectivity, the dialectics of the foreign and the familiar, the recognition of the new, the role of language and the function of tradition in understanding, the universality of hermeneutics as a theory of cognition and its impact on the social sciences.
Three seminar papers (1500 words each): 45%
Research essay (4500 words): 55%
2 hours (1 x 2 hour seminar) per week