Contemporary Civilization is a course about ideas and how to express
them. It is also about reading texts. The course's aim is to provide
students a forum to analyze arguments, evaluate conceptual stances and
offer textual interpretations. In addition, it introduces students to
a series of historically significant works that have been chosen for
the issues they raise within the realms of ethics, epistemology, and
political theory. Classroom themes will address topics such as society
and its structure; the nature of contracts; the role of religion; race
and gender in different cultures; notions of justice; and obligations
of an individual. Through discussion, we will critique the significance
of ideas articulated in the texts and will assess their relevance to
the present by placing them in their intellectual, historical and cultural
contexts. Short response papers and essays allow students to formalize
their own arguments in regard to reading assignments.