LA1000 Cultural Encounters
Terms 1-2
Convenor: Dr Ruth Hemus
Assessment:
4 x Essays of 1,500-2,000 words (20% each)
Group project/presentation: 20%
Overview
This course is the core introduction to the Liberal Arts degree and is taken by all students on the programme. Focused on the unifying theme of encounters, it will introduce you to some of the ways in which cultures have developed through historical, philosophical and creative dialogue, tension and movement. You will have the chance to explore the relationship between concepts that are traditionally assumed to exist in opposition, including Religion and Reason, East and West, Masculinity and Femininity. Taught by staff from different disciplines, the course fosters the comparative and interdisciplinary approach allowed by a Liberal Arts programme, and aims to help you develop some of the key skills in analytical and critical thinking that will be essential to your studies. Example teaching blocks include Classical Encounters, Philosophical Encounters, Theoretical Encounters, and Creative Encounters.
Bibliography
Bibliographies will be made available to you to support the four blocks. Key readings will be provided on Moodle wherever possible.