CJVA2MHER Interpretation and Understanding: A Dive into Modern Hermeneutics

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Asynchronous teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Lenka Hanovská, Ph.D. (lecturer)
PaedDr. Marta Holasová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Anna Maryšková (assistant)
Ing. Daniela Svobodová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Lenka Hanovská, Ph.D.
Language Centre Faculty of Arts Division – Language Centre
Contact Person: Mgr. Anna Maryšková
Supplier department: Language Centre Faculty of Arts Division – Language Centre
Prerequisites
( CJVA2B English II || CJVVsT Entrance test || CJVA1B English I. )&&((FAKULTA(FF)&&TYP_STUDIA(BMN)&&(FORMA(P))&&(!SEMESTR(1))||OBOR(MUSFF)))
This course is intended for full-time students (in their SECOND AND HIGHER semesters) with advanced English (B1+) knowledge. It is possible to enrol on the course after completing a diagnostic test and proving a minimum B1 command of English (course code: CJVVsT, https://is.muni.cz/auth/predmet/phil/jaro2024/CJVVsT).
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
Course objectives
Whether you are a student of interactive media, classics, or modern history, as a student of the humanities, you encounter numerous texts that you are required to read and comprehend. But what if the text is incomprehensible or difficult to grasp? Are there any principles you can follow to improve your reading and understanding? Hermeneutics is a philosophical discipline established to outline the principles of accurate interpretation and understanding. Although it has existed for at least two centuries, it has not provided a universally binding methodology for interpretation. Instead, various hermeneutic theories offer diverse concepts of understanding and interpretation. However, they all share one common premise: developing a valid theory of understanding and interpretation requires formulating a theory of humanity—the subject of understanding. In this course, we will explore the key concepts of interpretation and understanding. We will delve into the work of prominent figures in hermeneutics who have sought to define a theory of accurate understanding and interpretation of texts. Additionally, we will examine how these different theories of understanding are closely tied to differing conceptions of subjectivity and how the two are interconnected. Through language games, exercises, and discussions, we will investigate the patterns of interpretation and the boundaries of understanding, reflecting on the dynamic relationship between the subject of understanding and the text. Each lecture is structured in three parts: a philosophical lecture (receptive part), exercises exploring the application of the theory (productive part), and games/scenarios (interacting/ mediating part), ensuring understanding of the topic and good accommodation of the notions. This is a content-based course, striving to teach language through content (CLIL). The aim of the course is twofold: 1. to acquaint students with the key theories of understanding related to the key concepts of the humanities, and 2. to ensure that students learn the key concepts and recognise their varying meanings in different theoretical contexts. Therefore, the course presupposes and invites students who are: 1. interested in philosophy (or humanities), 2. at a B2 level of English, i.e., independent English users, 3. willing to give their use of basic philosophical notions more solid and reflective ground. The goal is to foster the B2 level of English (independent use) and bring it to C1 (expert use). Students are expected to participate actively in the lectures, engage actively with the topic, and demonstrate a willingness to read (and interpret) required texts. Students may choose between two options for completing the course: two credits, which require regular participation and home reading of the texts, or four credits if they decide to pass the exam. In the latter case, they will deliver an in-class presentation, an essay, and an abstract in addition to the regular classwork.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, a student will be able to:
- differentiate various hermeneutical theories
- recognize key concepts of the humanities and work with them critically
- use the concepts attentively
- pursue research in the humanities
- write an academic essay
- present an abstract topic in front of the audience
- discuss theoretical problems in English
Syllabus (in Czech)
  • 1. Art of Interpretation, Hermeneutic Circle, Context, Objectivity (D. F. Schleiermacher)
  • 2. Experience and Understanding, Historicity and History, (W. Dilthey)
  • 3. To be Human is to Interpret, the Existential Hermeneutic Circle, (M. Heidegger)
  • 4. Understanding as Mediation, The Conversation that We Are (H. G. Gadamer)
  • 5. Hermeneutics and the Humanities, Objectivity vs. Subjectivity, Natural Sciences vs. Humanities
  • 6. Language, Grammar and an Attack on Truth (F. Nietzsche)
  • 7. Time and Interpretation, Symbols, Metaphors, Meaning (P. Ricoeur) This is an online session with the SOAS University Expert on Hermeneutics, Elvis Imafidon
  • 8. Discourse, Discoursive Practice, Discoursive Systems, Speaking Subjects (M. Foucault)
  • 9. Deconstructing Tradition, Meaning as a Difference (F. Saussure and J. Derrida)
  • 10. Poststructuralist Practice of Reading (L. Althusser)
  • 11. Traditional Hermentutics vs. non-European Approach (online session with the SOAS University expert on Hermeneutics, Elvis Imafidon)
Literature
  • BELSEY, Catherine. Poststructuralism : a very short introduction. Second edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, 137 stran. ISBN 9780198859963. info
  • ZIMMERMANN, Jens. Hermeneutics : a very short introduction. First edition. Oxford: Oxford university press, 2015, xiv, 159. ISBN 9780199685356. info
  • GRONDIN, Jean. Introduction to philosophical hermeneutics. Edited by Hans-Georg Gadamer, Translated by Joel Weinsheimer. New Haven: Yale university press, 1994, xv, 231 s. ISBN 0-300-07089-6. info
  • MARTIN, Glen T. From Nietzsche to Wittgenstein : the problem of truth and nihilism in the modern world. New York: Peter Lang, 1989, xv, 401. ISBN 0820409170. info
  • DE MAN, Paul. Allegories of reading : figural language in Rousseau, Nietzsche, Rilke, and Proust. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979, xi, 305. ISBN 9780300028454. info
  • GADAMER, Hans-Georg. Philosophical hermeneutics. Translated by David E. Linge. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976, lviii, 243. ISBN 9780520256408. info
Teaching methods (in Czech)
lectures, individual research
Assessment methods
Students may choose between two options for completing the course: two credits, which require regular participation and home reading of the texts demonstrated in the classroom, or four credits if they decide to pass the exam. In the latter case, they will deliver an abstract, an essay, and a presentation (based on their project proposal) in addition to the regular classwork.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught each semester.
The course is taught every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2024, Spring 2025, Autumn 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2026, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2026/CJVA2MHER