Wijsbegeerte

6.3Program description

6.3.1Philosophical Foundations

This course consists of two parts. Philosophical Foundations I (6 ECTS) focuses on an analysis of modern and postmodern thought. Philosophical Foundations II (6 ECTS) concentrates on the development of a Christian view. Both courses deal with the same themes in order to make a real dialogue possible between modern and postmodern thought on the one hand and Christian thinking on the other hand. These themes are:

You will start in the first week with the study of foundational ideas of (post)modern thought and its counterpart in the outlines of a Christian worldview.

Against that background each following week a different theme will be elaborated upon:

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  conceptual frameworks to analyse diversity and coherence in reality;
  
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  how knowledge relates to reality: realism or anti-realism;
  
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  the nature of human society;
  
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  cultural and historical development;
  
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  knowledge, faith, and reason.
  

The goal of Philosophical Foundations I is to get an understanding of the basic ideas of modern and post-modern thought, their strengths and their weaknesses; to acquire the ability to identify these ideas in different arguments and conceptions and to critically analyze publications in relation to these ideas.

The goal of Philosophical Foundations II is to gain an understanding of the basic outlines of a Christian theoretical framework; to be able to develop and use a Christian theoretical framework for oneself; to acquire the ability to enter into a critical but fair dialogue with modern and post-modern thought.

6.3.2Subprograms

On the basis of the Philosophical Foundations three subprograms are offered in which both the perspective of (post)modern and of Christian thought are developed. The first focuses on the way the human person is understood both in the empirical sciences and in practical fields like health care and different kinds of technology; the second concerns problems in politics and society; the third concentrates on different kinds of social practices in health care and social work.

6.3.3Science, Technology and Responsibility

In this subprogram the first two weeks are devoted to general issues:

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  the human person: dualism, physicalism and postmodern pragmatism compared to a biblical view;
  
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  how to explain human behaviour: the relationship between personal and structural properties in (non-reductive) physicalism, substance dualism and a Dooyeweerdian view.
  

The next four weeks you will study the implications of these general conceptions for different areas of theoretical and practical importance:

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  are humans machines? Information and communication technology, post-industrial society and artificial intelligence;
  
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  just a matter of techniques? Suffering, care, ethics and the goal of medicine;
  
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  should intelligent design replace natural selection? Science, faith and philosophy in relation to creation and evolution;
  
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  are we our genes? (Post)modern approaches and the possibility of a Christian alternative.
  

The goal of the subprogram is to help you develop a view that can account for the integrity of the human person in relation to the results of the empirical sciences and the application of different kinds of technology.

6.3.4Politics and Society

This course focuses on the dialogue between the tradition of Christian social and political thought and developments in contemporary society and contemporary social and political thinking. Six topics are selected:

This course focuses on the dialogue between this Christian tradition of thought and developments in contemporary society and contemporary social and political thinking. Six topics are selected:

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  individual and society/ burden and challenge of social life;
  
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  social structures and power/ patterns of cultural developments
  
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  state and the public domain/ civil society and justice;
  
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  rule of law and democracy/ political parties and social movements;
  
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  market-economy, welfare-state and globalization;
  
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  international conflict and cooperation/ clash of civilizations.
  

The goal is to familiarize you with (Christian) social thought and its connection to salient developments in society. The course will also help you to apply the acquired insights in different (political, social, cultural) contexts.

6.3.5Ethics, Healthcare, Social Work

This course offers you an examination of the way the modern western emphasis on control and techniques has diminished ethical and spiritual inspiration for professions in the field of healthcare and social work and has replaced them by ‘protocolism’ and market thinking. You will explore the implications of this approach to professional help and care and the possible results for the practice of these professions if these forgotten dimensions are reintroduced. The following topics are discussed:

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  the (modern) view of man and its implications for professions in healthcare and social work;
  
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  individual and society: how do they relate?
  
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  healthcare and social work as professional practices: a matter of technique or of virtue?
  
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  how to understand suffering and its place in human life?
  
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  religion, spirituality and ‘moral management’ in the context of healthcare and social work;
  
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  some ethical issues and ethical policies at the institutional level.
  

The goal of the program is to provide you with intellectual tools to analyze developments within your (prospective) profession and to explore the possibilities of a richer approach to your profession, which in the program is called a ‘normative reflective professional model of ethics’.
For each period elaborate course descriptions will be available.

6.3.6Paper

You will complete the first semester by writing a short paper of 15 to 20 pages in relation to one of the subjects of either the Philosophical Foundations or one of the subprograms ‘Science, Technology and Responsibility’, ‘Society and Politics’ or ‘Ethics, Healthcare, Social Work’. For the choice of the topic and the supervisor of the paper you have to consult the coordinator of the program Dr. G.J. Buijs.

6.3.7Personal Reading

The personal reading is meant to give you a general preparation for the writing of the Master thesis. At the end of the first semester you should contact Dr. G.J. Buijs concerning your choice of a supervisor. Once the choice is made you will contact your supervisor in order to decide about a list of publications that you should study to get acquainted with the field out of which the topic for your thesis is chosen.

During the second half of the year a special class will be given in which general issues around the personal reading and the writing of the thesis will be discussed. This concerns:

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  The analysis of problems, views, and arguments of different publications in relation to one another and how to develop a position of one’s own in relation to these problems.
  
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  How to formulate a research problem and set up a plan to work this out in relation to themes and subthemes, the relevant literature and a time schedule.
  
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  Composition, language, style, train of thought and formal requirements for the master thesis.
  

This class will be given once a week during 3 weeks at the end of the first semester and 16 weeks in the second semester.

6.3.8Master thesis

You have to complete your study with a master thesis discussing a specific subject and the relevant literature. The preparation for the master thesis might include an internship.

For the master thesis you choose at the beginning of the program a subject in consult with the coordinator of the program dr. G.J. Buijs. For the supervision are in principle available the following persons:

dr. G.J. Buijs

prof. dr. H.G. Geertsema

prof. dr. G. Glas

prof. dr. S. Griffioen

prof. dr. ir. H. Jochemsen

prof. dr. R. Kuiper

prof. dr. J.S. Reinders

dr. J.W. Sap

prof. dr. R. van Woudenberg
If the person whom you have chosen gives his consent he will be the supervisor both for the reading assignment and the writing of the master thesis.

At the end of completing the reading assignment you will make a thesis proposal which will be discussed both in the special class and with the supervisor. Both for the choice of the reading and for the supervision of the writing of the thesis an appeal can be made to one or more of the list that is mentioned above.

In the Master thesis you apply what you learned during the program to a specific subject. The length of the thesis should be from 60 to 80 pages.

If you want to include an internship in the preparation of your thesis, you have to

contact dr. G.J. Buijs, the program coordinator, at the beginning of the program and discuss the possibilities with him.

6.3.9Guest lectures about Christian Thought and concerning Responsible Leadership

During the second half of the year guest lecturers will be invited to discuss with you different aspects of Christian thought and to introduce you in different qualities that are requested for responsible Christian leadership.

6.3.10Schedule

Period 1	Period 1
Philosophical Foundations I	Philosophical Foundations II
Group activities
Period 2	Period 2
Science, Technology and Responsibility I	Science, Technology and Responsibility II
Politics and Society I	Politics and Society II
Ethics, Health Care and Social Work I	Ethics, Health Care and Social Work II
Group activities
Period 3	Period 3
General research supervision concerning paper and personal reading	Group activities
Period 4	Period 4
General research supervision concerning paper and personal reading	Group activities
Period 5	Period 5
General research supervision concerning paper and personal reading	Responsible Leadership
Group activities
Period 6
Thesis