Ideas that Made Europe

Objectives
The main goal of this interdisciplinary course is to offer an approach, from the Cultural Studies perspective, to some of the most crucial ideas that have shaped, accompanied and influenced the development of the European civilization, its cultures, and by extension
also the Western thought. The general structure of the semester revolves around ten specific or abstract concepts, such as love, otherness or fear, that are still today in constant evolution and signify a big part of the European collective identity. The conceptual, cultural and chronological dissection of each of these topics, together with the development of their most important branches, will allow a wider comprehension of the different realities that they have portrayed throughout the centuries. Ultimately, this subject aims to offer the tools to help students approach and better understand Europe and its intellectual roots from a critical perspective, by exposing the ways in which its societies and cultures, past and present, have ordered reality and how they have made sense of their world.

Requirements
Fluent English

Learning Outcomes

1. To enable students to consider the past as an inherited tradition with traceable connections in the present.
2. To understand the implications of diverse techniques of interpretation often used by different academic disciplines.
3. To develop the habit of applying an independent and relativist approach and critique.
4. To deepen understanding of European civilization.
5. To become familiar and conversant with the major questions, concepts, theories, traditions and techniques of the social sciences and humanistic enquiry.

Teaching Methodology
Balanced diversity of type of sessions: Lecture style, in-class debates about documentaries and/or reading material, in-class working sessions (for ‘Class Activities’ and ‘Concept Research & Presentation’ parts of the assessment), commented classmates presentations and at least one field trip and one Guest Speaker. Participation and intervention of students will always be encouraged in order to achieve a dynamic atmosphere during each lesson.