Field of Poetics and Hermeneutics

Ethos, Praxis and Poiesis in Greek Culture (15 ECTS)

[Instructors: Carmen Leal Soares, Lecturer to be defined]

With the formation of the polis, the whole literary “production” (poiesis) became intertwined with “politics”, reflecting the citizen’s voice (polites) and conveying perspectives (individual or collective, proper or extraneous) of a worldview (local or global) which is a product and produces of a set of values (an ethos). Values which, in turn, shape and/or are questioned by “ways of acting” (praxeis). In the context of this seminar, we approach constructions, values, and practices that Greek texts, structural of the Greek culture, portray as the human pillars of the polis: the man – ruler, soldier, husband, father, son; and the woman – governess, governed, wife, mother, daughter. Because a multifaceted approach to the theme is intended, several authors, genres, and eras will be studied: Homer, Herodotus, Euripides, Plato, Aristoteles, and Plutarch.

Mythos and Practical Wisdom in Contemporary Hermeneutics (15 ECTS)

[Instructor: Diogo Ferrer]

The aim of this seminar is to explore, within the framework of French philosopher, P. Ricœur’s thought, the relationship between Aristotle’s practical wisdom and the narrative muthos when contemplating issues pertaining human finitude and temporality. The challenges of ethical praxis demand of Ricœur a recovery of the muthos-mimesis pair from Aristotle’s Poetics. Thus, nomological models are avoided in the world of ethical and political praxis. There, things are not in any way determined before the action itself. On the contrary, they are decided by man’s ethical decisions. This way, the temporal complexity of lived praxis makes Ricœur highlight the insufficiency of scientific models in the field of humanities, arguing in favour of valuing the crucial role of the historical and literary mythos as the verisimilar organisation of actions.

Poet and the City in the Roman World (15 ECTS)

[Instructor: Frederico Lourenço, José Luís Brandão]

The seminar deals with the theme of the city as a motif of poetic inspiration in order to recognise the expression or expressions of identity and transformation in the external and internal domains; namely, the external influence on the development of the Roman poetic tradition, the factors of cosmopolitanism and dialogue between cultures, but also the internal historical, social and political context in which the selected author(s) move(s): the relationship between poetry and citizenship, between the poet and the human and physical spaces of public and private life in the Vrbe.

Topics of the 2025-26 programme:

• The city as a motif of poetic inspiration in Horace and Martial
• The poet and Roman identity - historical-literary perspectives
• Roman cosmopolitanism
• Physical and human space
• Pictures of Roman life
• Praise and vituperation
• Private and public life
• Vita rustica / uita urbana
• Poetry and citizenship

Poiesis and (De)construction of Identities (15 ECTS)

[Instructors: Carmen Soares and Ana Paula Arnaut]

In this seminar, two temporally distant poetic universes that converge thanks to the themes they explore – Classical Antiquity and Modernity – are subjected to rigorous study. Leaning on historical and literary texts, it centres on ancient Greek and modern Portuguese authors and their approach to the topic of ‘I’ and the ‘Other’. By analysing diverse literary genres and relying on Reception Studies on the Classics, the aim of the seminar is to shed light on the specificities of each genre. One of its core themes is the creative, constructive, and deconstructive potential of Graeco-Latin literary heritage.

Orientation Seminar (130 ECTS)

PhD Thesis (50 ECTS)