Course code

HIK7216.HT

old course code

Course title in Estonian

Interdistsiplinaarne seminar

Course title in English

Interdisciplinary seminar

ECTS credits

6.0

Assessment form

Examination

lecturer of 2026/2027 Autumn semester

Rein Raud (language of instruction:English)

lecturer of 2026/2027 Spring semester

Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.

Brief description of the course

The seminar consists in the reading of academic texts from various disciplines on one currently relevant topic and their discussion. The goal of the seminar is not simply the correct understanding of these texts, but also
to associate them with each other, to apply them to ongoing social processes and to present argumented ctiticism of positions expressed in them.

Seminar 2026: Freedom and Free Will
Do we have free will, or is the entire course of the world predetermined in detail by the laws of nature? Even if our will is free, to what extent can we exercise it autonomously, and to what extent are we shaped by our cultural background and
environment? In analyzing these questions, the seminar will examine texts from the Western tradition ranging from Epictetus and Augustine, through Erasmus, Luther, and Spinoza, to John
Stuart Mill, Isaiah Berlin, and Zygmunt Bauman, as well as philosophical sources from China, India, and Japan.

Learning outcomes in the course

Upon completing the course the student:
- has acquired a practical experience of applying their theoretical knowledge and views to the analysis of some socially relevant problem;
- has a broader understanding of the current debates in the field of the seminar;
- is better able to formulate their views and positions concerning the issues covered by the seminar and to present coherent arguments in their support.

Teacher

Rein Raud

Additional information

No prerequisites, but a familiarity with philosophical and political ideas, modern European history and modern literature and art will facilitate participation.

Study programmes containing that course

Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies (HIKVM/22.HT)
Cultural Theory and Philosophy (HIKTM/21.HT)
Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies (HIKVM/21.HT)
Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies (HIKVM/20.HT)
Cultural Theory and Philosophy (HIKTM/20.HT)
Cultural Theory and Philosophy (HIKTM/19.HT)
Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies (HIKVM/19.HT)
Cultural Theory and Philosophy (HIKTM/18.HT)
Cultural Theory and Philosophy (HIKTM/17.HT)