161-021 Theories of Interpretation

At least one first-year single-semester philosophy or European studies subject, or permission from the Head of Department or subject coordinator.

This subject studies the theories of meaning and interpretation developed in contemporary European thought. It examines questions such as: What is a text? Is the meaning of a text a function of the author's intentions, or is the meaning to be identified with some representation of the world described in the text, or is it a function of the structure of the text and discourse in general? Can interpretations be true? Can conflicting interpretations both be true? What is it to interpret a text? How does an interpretation differ from a deconstruction? Major authors discussed will be chosen from Saussure, Freud, Heidegger, Ricoeur, Gadamer, Derrida, Barthes and Foucault. On completion of this subject students should have a broad grasp of a variety of competing theories and understand what would be involved in applying them to a critical reading of texts.