Categories of European Culture

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Course aims:

The aim of this course is to teach students about origins and development of European Culture [EC], its periodization, main concepts and categories, cultural continuities and changes, as well meetings of the Occident with non-European cultures.

Student has a basic knowledge about: concept of Classical Culture (Classical vs. Ancient) and the process of its transmission in EC (medieval and renaissance humanism, the concept of classical tradition); division of EC into East and West (Greek vs. Latin, Orthodoxy vs. Catholicism); the concept of Orientalism; European travels on East and discovering of America; changes of European society by French Revolution; decline of universalism of EC and creation of national cultures; nationalism and totalitarianism in EC; development of new Europe: European Union.

Student is able to: understand and define listed concepts and problems as well as map them in time and space; place listed concepts and problems in relation to his/her own cultural tradition; understand main causes of continuity and changes in EC; describe main variation of the myth of unity of/in EC; list main differences between EC and his/her own culture.

General familiarity with humanities and arts.

Lecture with a multimedia presentation, problem-based lecture, discussions.

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Course learning content:

- monastic culture; European cities in Middle Ages and Early Modern Period,

- Europe and Islam,

- Protestantism vs. Catholicism: religion and society,

- Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism in European visual arts and music - main categories of esthetic,

- European travels on East and discovering of America,

- changes of European society by French Revolution,

- decline of universalism of EC and creation of national cultures; aspects of European unity and diversity,

- European democratic culture vs. nationalism and totalitarianism in EC,

- the Second World War and its implications,

- the divided Europe and its reunification,

- changes in EC in the 50ties and 60ties,

- mass and civil movements in Europe,

- main streams in European philosophy in the 20th Century,

- European Christianity in the 20th,

- the age of globalization.

Reading list:

Peter Rietbergen, Europe: A Cultural History, Routledge: London 1998.

Robert C. Ostergren & Mathias Le Bossé, The Europeans: A Geography of People, Culture, and Environment, The Guilford Press: New York – London, 2011.

On successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:

- understand the research problems and the recent achievements in the field covered by the lecture,

- present the crucial research methodologies (both contemporary and earlier) and their mutual influence and relationships know how to critically evaluate the importance and usefulness of various methodological perspectives applied to analysing and interpreting phenomena of culture,

- know how to critically evaluate the importance and usefulness of various methodological perspectives applied to analysing and interpreting phenomena of culture,

- have extensive factual knowledge in the field covered by the lecture,

- have the basic bibliographical information necessary to further research the subject matter of the lecture.

Grade system:

very good (bdb; 5,0): excellent familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; very good understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

good plus (+db; 4,5): as above, except for minor deficiencies and inaccuracies.

good (db; 4,0): good familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

satisfactory plus (+dst; 3,5): satisfactory familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; average understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

satisfactory (dst; 3,0): basic familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; shallow understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

unsatisfactory (ndst; 2,0): unsatisfactory familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; no understanding or ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.