INST 3502 - Culture or Civilization? A War of Words and Ideas

Hours: 4
This course will investigate some of the questions pertaining to the birth of the concept of culture in opposition to civilization: What is culture? How rational are we? What role does the subconscious/collective unconscious play in our society? What is the role of the masses in democracy? What are the values of our modern society? How justified is a notion of popular culture? We will explore the war of words and ideas spun around the conflict between “culture” and “civilization” in literature, history, art, cinema and political philosophy. We will provide answers to some of the old questions and ask new, up-to-date questions that are relevant for our global world, such as: Can we talk about a global culture? What are the values of a future global society? Is a collapse of civilization possible? Why do we fear an apocalyptical scenario? (Paired with INST 4002 to fulfill the dyad requirement.)

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INST 3502 - Culture or Civilization? A War of Words and Ideas