MA Double Degree Philosophy

The double degree Master's programme in Philosophy offers a comprehensive philosophical education. Both partner programmes (MA in philosophy at Bamberg University and the Laurea magistrale in philosophy joint degree conferred by the University of Udine and the University of Trieste, Italy) offer a wide spectrum of courses in philosophy. The offer includes history of philosophy (ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary); theoretical philosophy and metaphysics; moral, political, and legal philosophy; aesthetics and philosophy of art; philosophy of architecture; philosophy of music; philosophy of science; philosophy of language; and philosophy of the mind. Furthermore, both faculties have members specialising in continental philosophy as well as members specialising in analytical philosophy. Students in the double degree programme can construct their educational path by choosing from among the offers of the two partner programmes. The aim of the double degree programme is to give a well-rounded, broad education. The curriculum stretches throughout history and covers both the analytical and the continental tradition. At the same time, each student is required to specialise in an area and to work on his or her analytical and argumentative skills within in that area. The rationale behind this educational goal is that current philosophical research in a culturally multidimensional world requires the capacity to work with a very specialised method as well as the capacity to interact with other traditions and schools of thinking. The double degree programme takes advantage of the variety of the specialisations of the faculties of the two partners and allows students to gain a unique education in the Italian and German philosophical culture. The investigation of the influence of the philosophical traditions of each country on the culture of the other is the strength of this path. Topics like the influence of German classical philosophy (Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel) on Italian neoidealism (Benedetto Croce and Giovanni Gentile) and the influence of Italian Medieval, Renaissance, and modern philosophy (Aquinas, Campanella, Bruno, Ficino, Vico) on German thinking as well as the developments of post-neoidealism and neorealism in contemporary philosophical debates (both analytical and continental) in Germany and Italy are the focus of this programme. Faculty members at the partner universities have strong research records in these fields. The influences of the philosophical exchanges between Italy and Germany on culture at large are also treated, particularly in reference to architecture, music, and literature. These are also among the specialities of the philosophy faculty members from the two partner universities.