European Intellectual & Cultural History - ARTS2783
Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School: School of International Studies
Course Outline: School of International Studies Course Outlines
Campus: Kensington Campus
Career: Undergraduate
Units of Credit: 6
EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)
Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 3
Enrolment Requirements:
Prerequisite: 30 units of credit at Level 1
CSS Contribution Charge: 1 (more info)
Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule
Further Information: See Class Timetable
Available for General Education: Yes (more info)
View course information for previous years.
Description
Subject Area: European Studies
This course is an introduction to central aspects of European intellectual and cultural history. It examines some of the key ideas and figures, the myths, images, and ideologies that have shaped the course of European thought and culture. While situating these ideas and figures in their respective historical contexts, the major questions it addresses concern their transmission and transformation over the centuries. Where do our modern notions of freedom, justice, or authority come from and how did they evolve? Why did ideas such as science or truth, but also, say, subjectivity become so central for European self-understanding? The course explores these fundamental questions about power, knowledge, history, and culture by looking at a series of iconic figures in the European imaginary, from Odysseus to Faust and Galileo, from Caesar to Napoleon, or from Antigone to Jeanne d’Arc, to name just a few.