EUR1100 - European Culture and Ideas: Modernity and Enlightenment

Leader: Marko Pavlyshyn

Offered

Clayton First semester 2007 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit introduces concepts and themes that are central to an understanding not only of European culture, but also of the modern world. It surveys the evolution, during the Enlightenment, of European ways of understanding and explaining the world and the human person, giving attention to such concepts as reason, freedom, imagination, nature, and beauty. It reflects on changing ideas of the arts and human creativity, and shows the variation of artistic style and lifestyle. It introduces such key thinkers as the philosophes, Herder and Kant, as well as representative works of literature and the other arts.

Objectives

On completion of this subject students will have a familiarity with, and an understanding of, the general features of Europe's cultural and intellectual development during the eighteenth century, with a focus upon the European Enlightenment, as well as knowledge of some representative expository texts and works of literature and the other arts. They will have basic skills in library use, essay writing, analysis and interpretation of texts, as well as oral presentation and discussion.

Assessment

Essay (1000 words): 20%
Essay (1200 words): 25%
Examination (1.5 hours): 35%
Class paper (800 words): 15%
Tutorial preparation: 5%

Contact hours

3 hours (2 lectures and 1 tutorial) per week

Prohibitions

EUR1015