Philosophy in World Traditions (MA)

About the programme

You will take courses in Philosophy as well as in Asian Studies or Middle Eastern Studies. Students in this two-year programme typically also enrol in one of the relevant master’s programmes taught at the Faculty of Humanities.

Philosophy courses integrate historical and systematic approaches in philosophy as well as the study of primary philosophical texts.

Programme structure

The two-year programme consists of the following components:

MA courses in the discipline outside philosophy (for a total of 40 EC)
Two specialist courses in intercultural philosophy (for a total of 20 EC)
The core seminar (10 EC)
One mandatory course in comparative philosophy (10 EC)
Two optional courses in philosophy (for a total of 20 EC)
Master’s thesis, thesis seminar, and exam (20 EC)

Students have the opportunity to do an internship, and/or to participate in an exchange programme with another research university.

Detailed programme

First Year / Second Year
Course	EC
Philosophy in World Traditions: Colonialism and Post-Colonialism	10
Methods of Intercultural Philosophical Scholarship	10
Contemporary African Philosophy	10
Early Islamic Thought	10
Consciousness in Buddhism	10
Philosophy of Love	10
Seminar Ancient Philosophy: Plato’s Theaetetus: Ancient and Modern Readings	10
Philosophy in Late Antiquity	10
Internship MA Philosophy	10
MA Thesis Seminar Philosophy (Fall)	0
MA Thesis Seminar Philosophy (Spring)	0
MA Thesis Philosophy 120 EC	20

For a detailed programme, see the Prospectus.

Please note that this guide applies to the current academic year, which means that the curriculum for next year may slightly differ.

Dr. Stephen Harris

Lecturer

"I teach comparative philosophy and Indian philosophy. One of the great things about this programme is that it builds on Leiden’s strong tradition in political and continental philosophy by exploring the work of Asian and Islamic thinkers. In addition to Plato, Heidegger and Rawls, students can study the teachings of the Buddha, Nagarjuna, Confucius and Avicenna. In my courses I draw upon classical and contemporary traditions from around the globe to discuss a particular set of issues. In one of my optional courses we investigate what it means to flourish as a human being. We study ancient Greek notions of happiness, contemporary analytic work on the concept of well-being, Buddhist critiques of pleasure, and the Daoist emphasis on creativity and spontaneous reaction in collaborative thinking."

Admission and Application

Do you want to find out if you are eligible for this Master's Programme?

Check the entry requirements