Dissertation [ LFILO2009 ]

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1) The dissertation should develop in a precise, clear and well-documented way, the hypothesis of the mini-dissertation put forward in the intensive Luxembourg seminar (FILO 2999, dissertation preparation seminar).  
2) It should deal with a specialised issue from the starting point of an in-depth interpretation of a series of reference texts.
3) Students are required to respond to questions put to them by their supervisor and two readers at an oral defense.

By completing the Master's dissertation, students will demonstrate their ability to develop, under the direction of a supervisor, a piece of in-depth philosophical research which is well documented and original.
In particular, they will demonstrate their ability to :
1. formulate a question or a problem in an appropriate way ;
2. grasp the main issues in an abstract theoretical text ;
3. locate and understand the main themes in a theoretical argument (including possible tension between them) ;
4. express their own theoretical thinking in a clear, simple, rigorous and compact way, both in writing and in speaking ;
5. present and link arguments which are appropriate for a given issue ;
6. present synthetically and clearly a complex theoretical thesis or argument ;  
7. appreciate the ethical, social and political (i.e. practical) implications of a theoretical argument ;
8. absorb knowledge, manage complexity and formulate judgements by taking into consideration ethical and social responsibilities ;
9. know a foreign language sufficiently well to gain direct access to sources and critical literature relating to the topic.

 

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1. The dissertation preparation seminar forms part of the programme of activities organised by the Mundus EuroPhilosophie Master's programme in Luxembourg and Paris.
2. The dissertation must be between 60 and 80 pages in length, following the instructions from the EFIL programme committee.
3. Practical guide available at : www.uclouvain.be/