MKJO-To understand and surpass your limits

The course is devoted to the issue of limits in a philosophical, educational and psychological sense. We are going to study modern cultural texts (scientific articles as well as pop culture, movies, podcasts) related to the limits of human thinking and acting not only on a theoretical level but also on a practical, daily level. Regarding the second level the issue we are going to deal with is the problem of motivation.

We are going to search for answers to questions such as: what are limits? How can we define them and how can we recognise them? What role has the limit and surpassing it played in Western culture? How can we distinguish between a limit and a barrier (like the ‘glass ceiling’)? How can we deal with the limits in our daily lives? The important parts of the course are the students’ presentations.

1. M. Foucault 'What is Enlightenment?'

2. Passages from 'Creating Learning without Limits' by M. Swann et al.

3. Passages from 'In the Shadow of Disability. Reconnecting History, Identity and Politics' by P. Verstraete

4. Fragments from the talk Making Our Own Joy given by Ajahn Brahm

5. Podcast from The Guardian Long Read on The Guardian: Why do we feel so guilty all the time?

6. Podcast from Thinking Allowed on BBC Radio 4: Stigma

The detailed list of sources will be based on the sources used by the students in their presentations.

After the course students will define the notion of limit, point out its role in Western culture and recognise the role of limits in educational situations. They will be aware of both the negative and positive roles of limits in our daily lives. They will know how to motivate themselves to cross barriers. They will improve language skills.

The students will be assessed on the basis of their:

- active participation in the class

- attendance

- presentation