TOPICS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE

COURSE SUMMARY : The aim of this course is to enable students to a nalyse cultural phenomena and to foster their capacity to choose wi thin complex contemporary cultural settings. It is also intended to help them understa nd the role of philosophy within a broader cultural context. The course is divided in two parts. The first part deals with some of the basic features of traditional, modern, and late or "post- modern" culture, as well as with culture within the context of globalization. The course wil l follow the historical succession of cultural formations, and will be structured around the general idea that modern culture compensated for the deficiencies in rationality and efficacy of traditional culture, but failed to provide the sense of meaningfulness one c ould find in pre-modern societies. This failure, it will be argued, has been the major source of various critiques, revolts and attempts to revitalize tradition within modern cont exts. The second part of the course is focused on a speci fic art form, the work of a particular philosopher, or a specific issue such as authenticity and originality, socialist modernism, cultural identity and memory, nostalgia, the culture of space and time etc. The second part is intended to change every semeste r. Instead of imposing a particular theoretical approa ch, the course will favour analytical rigour and imagination. Students will be confronted with a variety of perspectives, and will be encouraged to assess thei r strength from a philosophical point of view - by analysing their basic concepts, their met hodology, their arguments and their applicability. Sources to be used include philosoph ical, sociological, psychological, historical and anthropological texts; literary and art critiques; audio and visual materials. Each seminar will involve analysing art works that display previously discussed cultural characteristics. This course will be offered to third-year undergrad uate students in philosophy, as well as post-graduate students in humanities and so cial sciences.