Europe - Civilisation History

elective courses

(in Polish) Studentki i studenci mają wiedzę o kulturze i cywilizacji europejskiej z zajęć poświęconych tym obszarom prowadzonych na pierwszym roku europeistyki.

The course "Europe- history of civilisation" is devoted to the analysis of selected themes from the history of tangible and intangible European culture that które odzwierciedlają charakter i przemiany cywilizacji europejskiej. The object and starting point for consideration of the dynamics of civilisational transformations in Europe are selected phenomena of culture, selected works of European art and other cultural artefacts.

The course "Europe - history of civilisation" is devoted to the analysis of selected themes from the history of tangible and intangible European culture that have influenced the origin, development and transformation of European civilisation.

The chronological and problematic approach discusses both those elements of culture which build the cultural cohesion of Europe and European civilisation and those which, often developing on the margins or in opposition to the leading currents of European culture, constitute its diversity.

Depending on the dynamics and course of the class, the course will also introduce contemporary challenges and phenomena in European culture whose origins lie in the history of European civilisation, such as the problem of decolonisation of European museums and the question of the return of works of art and artefacts from former European colonies, the phenomenon of new forms of activism and their impact on cultural institutions, the question of the neutrality of artists and cultural institutions in the context of contemporary wars and conflicts in the world. This is a maximum programme, which depends on the pace of the group's work.

At the end of the course the student:

- has a basic knowledge of the iconography and symbols of medieval Europe;

- is able to explain and relate the origins and functioning of various cultural artefacts and works of art to civilisational changes in Europe.

- understands and can identify with examples the influence of non-European cultures on culture and art in Europe;

- is able to illustrate and describe with examples the phenomenon of cultural diffusion in Europe and the transmission of cultural phenomena from centres to peripheries;

-is able to explain what was the phenomenon of Polish artistic avant-garde and its contribution to the European cultural heritage in the XX century;

- is able to describe, on the basis of concrete examples, the mechanism of ideologisation of culture and its role in the transformations of European civilisation in the 20th century (if apllicable)

Grading: class attendance (max. 2 absences) and active course participation (the obligatory knowledge of texts and articles provided by the lecturer), completing and submitting all assignments by the due deadline.