3358 Modernity and Cultural Criticism

Prerequisites

None

Course Objectives

The purpose of this course is to provide students with insight into the changes and upheavals that strongly influenced the development of intellectual and cultural life in the twentieth century. More specifically, the course will emphasise the revolt against traditional values and ideas. Required reading material for the course will include texts taken from philosophy, politics, art, literature and popular culture to provide students with a broad understanding of the movements and lines of development.

Learning Methods

The course consists of lectures and seminars, up to 3 hours per week.

Course Description

The syllabus for this course will be approximately 800 pages; of which 200 pages will be devoted to a survey of the period. The rest of the reading material will consist of text extracts from works, which highlight and conceptualise relevant themes. The course will be based on a chronological development of the following main themes: 1) the city, 2) criticism of civilization (cultural pessimism, decadence, apocalypse, utopia, avant garde, opposition to modernity 3) pluralism, i.e. subcultures, feminism and youth culture etc., 4) “floating”modernity including criticism of nationalism, anti colonialism, ecological criticism and ‘The Third Way’.

Assessment Methods

The mid-term examination will represent 40% of the final grade. The final written examination will represent 60% of the final grade. Students must achieve passing grades for both the mid-term examination and the final examination in order to earn a final passing grade for the course. Graded marks.

Pensum