The hermeneutics class! This class is all about structuralism, post-structuralism and post-modernism, which, I still don’t really understand. It’s a continental philosophy class. Hermeneutics is about how we should go about interpreting texts. It’s specifically not about doing interpretation, which is what I thought would be covered a little. Hermeneutics has a central dichotomy between learning about the author and the context and learning from the text. Which one do you start with? And, is the author important at all? (death of the author). Authors covered include schleimacher, dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, Habermas, butler, quine, derrida and barthes. The class is structured by having a series of 1 and ½ hour lectures that are available on demand online, and then 2 hour tutorials. The tutes are divided into 2, where you divide into groups and try to summarise the three main ideas of the text in the groups and then share your understandings with the class in the first half, and then go over a handout in the second half. I thought these classes were really well structured and super reliable as to what you’d expect when turning up. The videos are also very well written and easy to follow even if the texts aren’t. Again, even though the texts are very hard, a lot of the central ideas are quite simple. I am super glad I didn’t end up writing an essay on this topic, cause I would have actually had no idea what to write on lol. very good class and a high level of discussion.

Honestly, I took this subject because I thought it would be suitable as a linguistics major, dependent on what the handbook says. If you aren’t a prodigy in philosophy, don’t take this subject. It’s exceptionally difficult and overall the worst of my whole degree

This is an exceptionally hard subject, but it is interesting.

Very interesting subject! Great tutorial format, weekly 2 hour session with time for questions around readings and class discussions on provided prompt questions. Lots of linguistics overlap.