European Cultures and Societies 2105-EPE-L-D2ECUS

The course will consist of three parts exploring the nature of Europe’s culture and societies from historical and problem-oriented perspectives. Part one will focus on the philosophical roots of Western Civilization highlighting the notions of state, power and the impact of Enlightenment on the formulation and development of contemporary social structures. The second part will accent on the basic social phenomena within the Western Civilization since late XVIII century. The role of nation, nationalism, industrial revolution, nation building, secularization and the evolution of foreign relations will be discussed. Part three will explore the contemporary processes of social, political and economic evolution. Embedded in the context of European integration, this part will look at the evolving role of state, power and society, contemporary ways of thinking about Europe, and the role of the European Union. In terms of geographical outreach Europe will be defined inclusively in order to embrace the influence of other civilizations, in Huntingtonian terms, on the evolution of European Culture and Societies.

Term 2023L:

List of topics to be discussed in class.
1. Plato's Republic and its impact on our perception of the state? (March 4)
2. Aristotle's political regimes? (March 11)
3. Why St. Augustine’s City of God matters? (March 18)
4. The influence of Christianity on European culture and history (March 25)
5. How humanism impacted Enlightment? (see: Rietbergen, Chapter 12, A new society: from Humanism to the Enlightment, pp.355 – 383 (April 1)
6. How the French Revolution shaped the XIX century in Europe? (April 8)
7. Is Marx relevant today? (April 15)
8. National identity – obsolete or everlasting? (April 22)
9. How the “salaryman” shapes European integration? (see: Rietbergen, Chapter 17) Towards a new Europe From “familyman” to “salaryman” – from group identity to individual identity? Pp. 503-546 (April 29)
10. European identity – myth or reality? (May 15)
11. Why the Rule of Law is an European value? (May 29)
12. Multiculturalism – the future or the end of European integration? (June 3)

Term 2024L:

Prerequisites (description)

The student learns about the nature of social sciences and their relations to other sciences. The student finds out the regularity, nature and changes in the functioning of European groups, societies, nations and cultures. The student gets to understandthe process of the development of European philosophical thought, including the trends of thinking about the state, power and social structures. The student learnsto observe and interpret social phenomena occurring in Europe and the European Union, he/she learns to analyze the links between cultural, political, economic and legal areas in the internal and external dimensions.

Course coordinators

Spasimir Domaradzki

Learning outcomes

K_W02 kompleksowo grupy, społeczeństwa narody i kultury Europy, a także prawidłowości, naturę, zmiany i przejawy ich funkcjonowania.
K_W06 podstawowe etapy i wymiary rozwoju europejskiej myśli filozoficznej, w tym nurtów myślenia o państwie, władzy i strukturach społecznych.
K_W12 podstawowy zakres wiedzy o człowieku i obywatelu jako konstytuującym struktury zawodowe, społeczne, państwowe i ponadnarodowe, jego status i prawa oraz zasady funkcjonowania w tych strukturach.
K_U01 obserwować i interpretować zróżnicowane zjawiska społeczne zachodzące we Europie i Unii Europejskiej oraz analizować powiązania między obszarami kulturowym, politycznym, ekonomicznym, prawnym w wymiarze wewnętrznym i zewnętrznym.
K_U02 wykorzystywać zróżnicowaną wiedzę teoretyczną i metody badawcze nauk społecznych do pozyskiwania i interpretacji danych o Unii Europejskiej i państwach europejskich.
K_K04 kreatywności i przedsiębiorczości w zakresie poszukiwania i generowania nowych miejsc pracy i rozwoju kapitału społecznego
K_K05 reprezentowania w sposób zinstytucjonalizowany zróżnicowanych interesów różnych grup społecznych, uwzględniając polityczne, ekonomiczne i prawne aspekty podejmowanych inicjatyw

Assessment criteria

In order to successfully complete the course the three assessment components must be completed. Firstly, an essay discussing one of the philosophical writings provided by the lecturer must be written. The essay will constitute 30% of the final score. The essay will be evaluated in terms of content, structure, references. Assessment will be based on clarity of expression, apprehension of the text, logic of arguments, coherent structure and appropriatness of referencing.
The second component is an in-class presentation contributing to the discussion on one of the lecture’s topics. The in-class presentation topics will be discussed and distributed during the first two lectures. The presentation will be worth 20% of the final mark.
Assessment is based on clarity of expression, apprehension of the text and logic of arguments.
The third component is an oral exam covering the course material. The final exam will be worth 50% of the total score. Assessment: knowledge of discussed lecture topics – from „basics” (3,0) to good command of the question (4,0); complete answer (5,0); extensive knowledge beyond the requested readings and critical analysis (5,5)

Practical placement

n/a

Bibliography

Plato, Republic
Aristotle, Politics
St. Augustine, City of God
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
John Locke, Two Treatiese on Government
Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France
Thomas Paine, Common Sense and the Rights of Man
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
Karl Marx, the Capital
Peter Rietbergen, Europe, A Cultural History, Routledge, London and New York, Third ed. 2015.
Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, Verso Books, London 2016
Ernest Gelner, Nations and nationalism, Cornell University Press, 2009
Edmund Burke, Considerations on the Revolution in France
Michael Billig, Banal Nationalism, Sage Publications, 1995
Luigi Barzini, the Europeans, 1983,
https://archive.org/stream/BarziniLuigiTheEuropeans/Barzini%2C%20Luigi%20-%20The%20Europeans_djvu.txt

Term 2023L:

Term 2024L:

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2105-EPE-L-D2ECUS in USOSweb