Education at the Institute of Philosophy focuses on building a strong foundation in two areas: systematic and historical training & current issues in philosophy.
Students are provided with a thorough education in both systematic philosophy and the history of the discipline and these are the primary focus of the first two years of both the bachelors and the teaching degree program. Students are introduced to fundamental questions in the core areas of philosophy such as metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, language and cognition, ethics, meta-ethics, political and social philosophy. In addition to being given the opportunity to study these areas from both a systematic and a historical point of view, courses cover the whole historical spectrum from antiquity to the present, and are offered from the perspectives of both the continental tradition (e.g. Nietzsche, Heidegger, etc.) and the analytic tradition (e.g. Wittgenstein, Davidson, etc.).
This plurality of philosophical methodologies is also characteristic of the French-German Masters Program in Applied Philosophy of Culture, which is offered in cooperation with the University of Paris VIII. This postgraduate degree offers students the opportunity to spend one year studying at the University of Stuttgart and a second year studying in Paris. In addition all students on the Bachelors and Masters in Philosophy programs are offered the opportunity to spend a semester studying at various partner institutions across Europe and may apply for funding to support this through the Erasmus Program or the DAAD.
The institute is committed to providing a learning environment which gives students the opportunity to engage withcontemporary philosophical research as early in their philosophical career as possible. In seminars, students are introduced to current debates in various areas of philosophy and are encouraged to actively engage with those questions. We make every effort to include interested and capable students into the research activities of the institute especially towards the final stages of the Bachelors and Masters programs. Courses in English are offered to help students prepare for study and research abroad.