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University Microcredential in the philosophy of Julián Marías

INFORMATION, PRE-REGISTRATION AND REGISTRATION

  • Continuing Education
  • Phone: 91 665 50 60
  • Contact Academic Address:  Ernesto Baltar

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Basic Information

Presentation

Who was Julián Marías and why is he one of the most interesting philosophers today? A disciple of José Ortega y Gasset and one of the great figures of Spanish thought, Marías developed a profoundly humanist philosophy centered on the person, freedom, love, hope, happiness, and the meaning of life.

This course offers a clear and rigorous introduction to his thought, showing how his ideas help us understand some of the great challenges of our time: the crisis of values, personal identity, coexistence, technology, education, and the future of our society. Through his major works, we will discover a philosophy closely connected to everyday experience, capable of engaging with literature, history, psychology, and the social sciences.

Aimed at both students and anyone interested in the humanities, the course is an excellent opportunity to get closer to one of the most brilliant Spanish thinkers of the last century and discover a philosophy that not only explains the world, but also helps to live it with greater depth, freedom and hope.

Objectives

  • Throughout the course, the student will discover the keys to Julián Marías's thinking, learn to interpret his main works and reflect on universal issues such as the person, freedom, hope, happiness, love or the meaning of life.
  • Furthermore, it will develop tools for critically analyzing some of the major challenges of our time—the crisis of values, identity, coexistence, and education—from a rigorous and profoundly humanist philosophical perspective. The course will also allow students to situate Marías within the context of 20th-century Spanish and European philosophy, comparing his thought with that of authors such as Ortega y Gasset, Zubiri, and the leading figures of personalism.
  • At the end, you will have a solid understanding of one of the most important philosophical works of contemporary Spanish thought and intellectual resources that will help you better understand reality and argue more clearly and deeply about major human problems.

Program

Module 1. Historical and intellectual context of Julián Marías

• A biography full of thought.

· 20th Century Spain and the Generation of Ortega y Gasset.

· Marías' philosophical formation and his relationship with the Madrid School.

· Influences: Ortega, Unamuno, Zubiri, phenomenology and Christian thought.

· Marías' vocation as a philosopher and humanist essayist.

Module 2. Foundations of Marías' philosophy: vital reason and historical reason

• Continuity and overcoming of Ortega's thought.

· The meaning of vital reason and its historical dimension.

· Human life as a radical reality.

· Metaphysics of vital reason.

· The empirical structure of human life.

Module 3. Philosophical Anthropology and Philosophy of the Person

· The notion of person as an open, biographical and coexisting reality.

· Life, project and freedom: the human being as a task.

• Love, happiness, and hope as structural dimensions of existence.

• Temporality and vocation in personal life.

• Illusion as the center of gravity of his philosophy.

Module 4. The ethical and social dimension of Marías's thought

• Ethics of coexistence and understanding of others.

• His view of the Spanish Civil War.

• The liberalism of Julián Marías.

· The role of women and the vision of femininity in Marías' philosophy.

· The Christian perspective according to Julián Marías.

• Cinema and the anthropology of cinema.

• The travel books of Julián Marías.

Module 5. Julián Marías, Spain and contemporary philosophy

· Julián Marías's vision of the history of Spain.

· Spain, Europe and Latin America.

· Dialogue with Ortega y Gasset, Zubiri and European personalism.

· Marías as a popularizer, essayist and educator.

· The philosophy of technology in Julián Marías.

• Relevance and validity of his thinking in the 21st century.

 

Final Degree Project: An individual essay or integrative final project in which the student will apply Marías's concepts to a topic of their interest (philosophical, ethical, educational, or cultural). Analytical depth, clarity of argumentation, and appropriate use of bibliographic sources will be assessed.

Recipients

Access requirements:

Equivalent to Level 2 of the Spanish Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (MECES). Graduate or those lacking up to 30 credits to graduate.

Selection criteria:

In the event that the number of applications exceeds the number of places offered, a selection will be made based on the following objectively weighted criteria as stated:

  1. Professional career 60%
  2. Years of experience 40%

No. of Places: 50

Academic Management and Faculty

Academic direction:

  • Ernesto Baltar García-Peñuela (URJC)
  • Ignacio Sánchez Cámara (URJC)

Faculty:   

  • Ignacio Sanchez Camara
  • Ernesto Baltar García-Peñuela
  • Francisco Javier Sánchez Collado
  • Enrique González Fernández
  • Nieves Gómez Álvarez
  • Francesco de Nigris
  • Rafael Hidalgo Navarro
  • Juan José García Norro
  • Daniel Marías
  • Miguel Marías Franco

Duration and development

Modality: In‑person

Number of credits: 10 ECTS

Contact hours: 100

Place of delivery: Vicálvaro Campus (Madrid)

Schedule: Mon-Thursday: 17:00-19:00 PM

Start and end date:

Expected start: 15/11/2026. End: 30/6/2027

Reservation of place and enrollment

Pre-registration periodFrom July 16 to November 15, 2026

Enrollment deadline: from July 16 to November 10, 2026

Title price: 350 Euros

Possibility of scholarship (if applicable): yes

The start of the course is subject to the minimum number (10) of enrolled students.

Documentation to attach, forms and place of delivery

The applicant will present all the scanned documentation, in the formats allowed through the link https://www.urjc.es/estudiar-en-la-urjc/admision/276-formacion-continua#preinscripcion

The documentation that you will have to submit is the following:

Students with a degree obtained from a Spanish university or a Higher Education Institution belonging to another Member State of the European Higher Education Area that provides access to continuing education courses must submit the following documentation:

Students with foreign qualifications must submit the following documentation:

Microcredentials, intended for students with or without a previous official university degree.

These courses allow for the certification of learning results linked to short-term training activities. Their duration must, in any case, be less than 15 ECTS credits. Successful completion of these courses through the corresponding assessment tests will entitle the student, where appropriate, to obtain a Certificate with the name of the respective course and will be included in the centralised Register of this type of qualification. In the event that they do not include assessment tests, a certificate of attendance will be obtained.

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