HUM 103 Humanities

Course Coordinator: 

Dr. Ferzan Durul

Students who take this course will

• Gain an understanding of the evolution of science and the scientific approach throughout history, and the appreciation of scientific thinking as the most important dimension of the value systems of contemporary human civilization.
• Be able to interpret and appreciate the diversity of the cultures and the dynamics of nations throughout history in their geographical and historical context.
• Be able to understand the formation and evolution of the concepts of equality, ethics and justice, and the importance of their application in today’s global environment.
• Be able to understand the formation, evolution and the passing among nations and subsequent generations of the arts, esthetics and literature throughout history.
• Gain an appreciation of the development of the methods of inquiry and the importance of critical thinking in today’s global environment.
• Understand the eastern roots of civilizations (as opposed to only western), gain a multi-centered civilization appreciaton, and realize the value of conceptual frames such as the Turkish World and the Eastern World.

Goals

This course aims to provide: a comprehensive review of the history of civilization; an understanding of the role of multiple disciplines (philosophy, arts, literature, science) as they progressed within various civilizations around the globe throughout history; how these humanities disciplines contributed to the formation of the value system of our contemporary civilization; to develop the ability to analyze contemporary social movements.   Particular emphasis is given to the fields of science, philosophy, arts and literature.

Content

The start of civilization on earth, the Neolithic age; Turkish, Indian and Chinese civilizations and their interactions; the developments in the Mediterranean cultural basin; the elements of civilization in the middle ages; the examination of eastern and Eurasian civilizations with a particular focus on the formation in arts, social sciences, technology, science; The renaissance, the enlightenment, the American and the French revolution; modernization phases in the Turkish civilization; the new world order; the study of civilizations in the 21^st century

Course Learning Outcomes

One comprehends to evaluate, contemporary scientific understanding, from the perspective of “Science is the most real guide for civilization”. 
One learns the richness and uniqueness of every life styles which emerged in the different periods of time and different geographies, by evaluating each of them separately; and thereby develops a peaceful language in cultural manner. 
One earns to comprehend the importance of the concepts of justice, equality and ethical values which emerged with the coexistence of humans as a social being, and ability to transform it to action.
One earns ability to evaluate the emergence, change and the transportation dynamics of art and aesthetical process in the perspective of their historical context and to see them as cultural richness.
Student, as a result of his/her learning, earns ability to evaluate today’s concepts such as globalization that desublimaze the man, by questioning, examining and developing a reason and result relationship.
One develops an understanding for the conceptual subjects such the multi centered and different Orient and Turkish World, which are different from the Western Centric concept of civilization that is seen in the historiography.