note: Critical Cultural Concepts was originally designed by Professor J. Douglas Canfield as an alternative to sequential humanities courses used to fulfill the old requirement in "Western Civilization." It remains an option for the old "List 2" General Education requirement, and is now an option for the new General Education First Tier requirement. It is taught with the understanding that it will be accepted as a wild card (that is, it can be coupled with anything else on List 2) by all colleges for the old General Education requirements in humanities/traditions and cultures.

This course operates under the following guidelines: Fundamental to the aims of Traditions and Cultures, List 2, is the awareness that we are historical beings, shaped by the experience and acts of our predecessors, and that in turn we shape the lives of those who follow us. The courses in this area examine Western Civilization as a collective heritage of ideas, values, and literary and artistic expressions, but also as a continuous process that adapts that heritage to social, political, scientific, and economic changes and experiences.

Courses in Tier One must engage in a rigorous exploration of fundamental knowledge that emphasizes interdisciplinary and cross-cultural analysis and should teach critical thinking, emphasizing the assessment, evaluation, and critique of culture.

What can be more foundational to Western culture than the portrayal of war, than the use of its ideology to justify not just preservation but conquest and dominance? We will analyze several texts from Western literature and film. Another cultural perspective will be offered through Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Masuji Ibuse's Black Rain (a novel about Hiroshima).

Each week, students will write short (1 page single spaced) essays that critically engage with the text as directed in class. There will be a take home final exam.

Texts: