Subject Area: European Studies

This course is an introduction to central aspects of European intellectual and cultural history. It examines some of the key ideas and figures, the myths, images, and ideologies that have shaped the course of European thought and culture. While situating these ideas and figures in their respective historical contexts, the major questions it addresses concern their transmission and transformation over the centuries. Where do our modern notions of freedom, justice, or authority come from and how did they evolve? Why did ideas such as science or truth, but also, say, subjectivity become so central for European self-understanding? The course explores these fundamental questions about power, knowledge, history, and culture by looking at a series of iconic figures in the European imaginary, from Odysseus to Faust and Galileo, from Caesar to Napoleon, or from Antigone to Jeanne d’Arc, to name just a few.