Faculty of Literature and Humanities

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The Department of Philosophy of University of Tehran, regarding its concentration on two long-lived philosophical traditions, has a unique identity: Islamic philosophy and the history of Western philosophy. This department which is a subgroup of the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences of University of Tehran started its activity with the establishment of the university under the title of Faculty of Literature, Philosophy, and Educational Sciences. The faculty was first formed as a part of Higher College of Teachers in 1928 and in 1934 when University of Tehran was established was merged with it under the title mentioned. Up to 1964 the three faculties of Philosophy, Psychology, and Educational Sciences worked a single education group, but in that year Psychology and Educational Sciences were separated and the department of philosophy began its independent activity. This department is the oldest and the most well-known education-research group in Iran. In the mid-1960s this department became a pioneering center of philosophical studies in Iran. Prominent philosophical figures have contributed to the department; the following are among them: Kazem Assar (Shia researcher), Yahya Falsafi (pioneering translator of Western philosophical works), Reza Davari Ardakani (continental philosophy researcher), Abdolkarim Soroush (philosophy of science researcher), Karim Mojtahedi, and Ahmad Fardid. The strength of the department mostly lies in its attention to the history of philosophy. This department is committed to teaching a wide range of courses on the subjects of the history of Western philosophy, Islamic philosophy, and contemporary continental philosophy. This commitment to teaching history of Western philosophy is particularly focused on four fields: Greek and Roman philosophy, medieval philosophy, pre-Kantian philosophy of the new era, and nineteenth-century German philosophy. In classic philosophy, the focus is on Aristotle and Plato. The study of German Idealism is the other strength of the department. The third strength of the department is Islamic philosophy which is supported by Hawzas. In all these three fields particular attention is paid to metaphysics. In contemporary continental philosophy, the main contents are phenomenology and hermeneutics.
Ph.D. curriculum: the Ph.D. curriculum of Department of Philosophy of University of Tehran is the most creditable among Ph.D. curriculums of philosophy in Iran. This curriculum is presented in three fields:
1. Greek and medieval philosophy
2. The philosophy of the new era
3. Contemporary philosophy
In the syllabus of each field, three courses focused on Islamic philosophy have been included. All the students must pass the comprehensive exam before taking the dissertation. It is expected that the dissertation proposal be submitted by the end of the fourth semester. In the field of Greek and medieval philosophy particularly, subjects like the relation between Late Greek philosophy and Islamic philosophy, the acceptance of Greek philosophy in the tradition of Islamic philosophy, and the influence of the tradition of Peripatetic Islamic philosophy on medieval philosophy are welcome. Usually it takes four to five years to complete the Ph.D. degree.
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  BA-Courses

  MA-Courses

Head OF Department : Dr H.Ghafari