What is a university? Why do there need to be institutions of higher education that combine teaching and scientific research with one another? Why aren't schools and research institutions enough, respectively? What is the relation between teaching and research? Which faculties are required to form a university? Is the Philosophical Faculty just one faculty among the others, or does it have a special status? What is the relation of the university to the government? This course addresses these and related questions by examining definitions of the university as put forward by German philosophers before, during, and after the establishing of the University of Berlin (today's Humboldt-Universität) in 1809/10. This allows us to trace how ideas relating to the origin, structure, and purpose of the university changed and were implemented over the last two centuries.
Reading materials will be made available electronically in both the original German as well as in English translation.
Instruction will be in English, but German contributions are welcome.
This course is taught online via Zoom.
- Course owner: Benjamin Wilck