Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Society and Culture in the 21st Century
Other languages of instruction: English
If the student is enrolled for the English track then classes for that subject will be taught in the same language.
Teaching staff
Wendy R Simon
Convene personally with the professor before or after classe or contact at wmramirez@uic.es
Introduction
The goal of this course is to familiarize future cultural managers with theoretical and empirical perspectives of social sciences regarding the discipline of cultural management. The course covers the main traditional theoretical contributions regarding the concept of culture, cultural practices, cultural audiences, as well as the latest research in these still productive fields. We will draw from the main theoretical framework to analyze the problems of contemporary society regarding the development of the social, political and economic context of culture, so as to endorse students' reflection, discussion and understanding of these topics.
We will try to carefully examine that context, in the light of different authors and different theoretical perspectives, in order to aid students in thinking about these problems honestly, with intellectual rigor, learning to contextualize, interpret, and even doubt the different contributions.
Pre-course requirements
Same as for the Master's.
Objectives
This course offers an overview of the key elements necessary to understand where Western culture stands in the 21st century. The approach will combine the Western philosophical, sociological and anthropological perspectives to explain the main traits that shaped society and culture in the 20th century and then will attempt to give a plausible explanation for the evolution that it endured during the next 100 years. We hope to provide the student of this course with enough structured knowledge to have an informed guide as to what culture is, what it means and how it is expressed in the 21st century-especially in constract to what it had been before our times.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CB6 - To have and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity for the student to develop and/or apply original ideas, often in the context of research.
- CB8 - Students should be able to integrate their knowledge and cope with the complexity of issuing judgements based on information that, though incomplete or limited, includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgements.
- CE2 - To act as an active mediator in processes related to cultural diversity, multiculturalism, globalisation and cultural identities, among others.
- CG5 - To act responsibly and produce high-quality, rigorous and efficient work that benefits society.
- CG6 - To demonstrate an ability to be open and flexible with regards to cultural and social diversity.
- CT1 - To design, direct, produce and assess cultural projects, programmes, strategies, policies or actions that involve a number of different numerous professional profiles, agents and institutions.
Learning outcomes of the subject
1. Historiographical Literacy. Students will build on their training to deepen their knowledge of the cultural and social significance of masterworks or masterpieces. They will deepen their understanding of the ideas and social contexts in which proposed culture works are placed.
2. Critical Thinking. Students will be able to investigate critically how specific scholars in their field of specialization have discussed the ideas and masterworks in conflict with other aspects of historical and social development within particular cultures. By the end of their course, students should be able both to critique cultural and social scholarship in their area of specialization and to begin to deploy significant methodological strategies in their own work as will be manifested in their MA thesis.
3. Research Skills. Students will strengthen their ability to develop appropriate research topics and questions to effectively shape their projects. They will be able to find appropriate research sources through the effective use of material in libraries and databases, and will develop the ability to use archival or other primary sources.
4. Communication Skills. Students will strengthen their ability to organize and express their thoughts clearly and coherently both in writing and orally. They will learn to produce cogent arguments for their research papers, developing a clear analysis of topics and source materials, and of the scholarly structure of their field of specialization. They will also have learned to use articulate, grammatically correct language and to construct thorough investigations research papers, skills that will culminate in the MA thesis project.
Syllabus
TOPICS TO EXPLORE
1.- The concept of person and identity over the centuries. What makes one a "person"? Contemporary accounts of personhood. What makes us "us"? Modern accounts of what identity is.
2.- The notion of culture in the 21st century: human societies, the 5 common cultural elements, cultural systems analysis, dimensions of cultural reality.
3.- How the multiculturalism phenomena evolved over the 20th century and where we are at today.
4.- Humanism. The basis for Western civilization and its implications for a post-Enlightenment society. Its mutation and survival.
5.- The evolution of feminism from its proto-origins, all through the 20th century and up to its recent most radical and most conservative understandings.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The course will follow the project-based learning method. After a brief introduction to the course structure and contents, students will form cooperative work groups with which they will elaborate an autonomous project, both during class hours and at outside scheduled classes, with the close guide of the professor. They will present the results on the last day of class as well as turn in a written version of the project for final grading.
Guest Lecturer Session (November 8th)
This session bases its methodology on the understanding of the structures of art through master classes, cooperative learning and the case method. The method is based on an active dialogue in the class and the projection of ideas and possibilities to weave a structural sense of the artistic and cultural in our time.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
***It is necessary to have participated in at least 80% of the course sessions in order to be graded.***
The course will be graded by groups, based on their final project.
Specifically:
60% COMMON TO ALL PROJECTS:
-30% Course topics (Displays a wide knowledge of many of the suggested topics for the course)
-20% Relevance (The connections established denote a deep understanding of the material and the works)
-10% Proposed works (Delivers a unique and interesting approach to at least one of the proposed works)
40% PROJECT-SPECIFIC BY TYPE:
-A) DRAMA
20% Staging (The production was organized, rehearsed, well designed, well interpreted, and clear)
20% Script (Renders an artistically pertinent interpretation of a valuable message)
-B) PROBLEM SOLVING/PRODUCT
20% Report (Well organized, with clear headings and sub-headings, in good English, and an accurate rendering of the problem/need and the solution/product posed).
20% Problem-Solving potential / Product prototye (Offers a viable, creative, well-founded solution to a well-defined, interesting, relevant cultural problem/need)
-C) RESEARCH PROJECT
30% Academic quality of paper (Accurately follows the standardized steps for a high-quality academic paper)
10% Conclusions (The conclusions drawn denote a complex understanding of the topic.)
Bibliography and resources
Please, check each lesson's content separately for a detailed list of bibliography, notes, authors and e-resources by topic.