Studies in European Civilization – Thematic Units

HOU > Undergraduate Programmes > European Studies: History, Society and Civilisation (EPO) > Studies in European Civilization – Thematic Units

EPO10: GENERAL HISTORY OF EUROPE

Module code: EPO10

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Compulsory

Year: 1^st

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: After completing this module, students are expected to be able:

To describe and identify the major historical developments that shaped Europe and its cultural identity between the end of antiquity and contemporary times.
To explain and assess the historical events that led to the emergence of the various political institutions, religious systems and intellectual phenomena in Europe between the Middle Ages and contemporary times.
To produce substantive arguments elucidating or explaining such events and developments, their causes, effects and long-term repercussions.
To identify and discuss similarities and differences between the various historical trajectories in European history.
To identify and discuss the most significant continuities and discontinuities in European history.

Subjects covered:

Introduction to the History of Europe
General overview: 6th to 20th century CE.

Evaluation: Completion of four (4) written assignments during the academic year, the average of the grades of which will contribute to the final grade of the unit by 30%, if eligible for the final examination or re-examination. Final written examinations, the grade of which contributes to the final grade of the unit by 70%.

EUC21: HISTORY OF EUROPEAN LITERATURE

Module code: EPO21

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Compulsory

Year: 1^st

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: On completion of his/her studies, the student will be in a position to:

Know the main periods and discern the cultural trends/ artistic movements that constitute the milestones in the European history of literature from the 12th to the 20th century.
Know the leading authors and works forming the “canon” of European literature from the 12th to the 20th century and the main literary genres that emerged in various periods in the history of European literary history from the 12th to the 20th century, their expression and transformation in time.
Analyze literary texts on the basis of genre, thematic material, style and ideological ramifications.
Compare and contrast literary texts of the same or different traditions and trends on the basis of their thematic material, their genre and stylistic features, as well as the ideas they deal with.
Compose papers where it will be possible to combine successive literary elements, pertaining to specific literary genres or works, with their morphological and ideological analysis.

Subjects covered:

Introduction to the history of literature
History of European Literature from the 6th to the 20th century CE

EPO31: NATURAL & HUMAN SCIENCES IN EUROPE

Module code: EPO31

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Compulsory

Year: 1^st

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: Upon the completion of this module, students are expected to be able to:

Recall the major events of history of science and describe the most important epistemological debates, which determined the current state of science.
Explain how science came to be considered the most trustworthy way of knowing, but also analyze the contradictions immanent in this epistemological pattern as far as the certainty of knowledge is concerned.
Sketch the role of science and technology in shaping European culture
Perceive, analyze and discuss social problems arising from scientific and technological developments.
Contribute to resolving matters of scientific and technological policy.

Subjects covered:

History and Theory of Sciences during the Middle Ages
History and Theory of Sciences in modern Europe
Positivism and its Overcome

EPO11: SOCIAL & ECONOMIC HISTORY OF ΕUROPE

Module code: EPO11

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Compulsory

Year: 2^nd

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: After completing this module students are expected to:

Differentiate between general history and economic history.
Assess and compare approaches of economic and social history theoretically and empirically.
Grasp, understand and explain basic macro processes of economic development: transition from feudalism to capitalism and its different paths, the various phases of the industrial revolution, the occurrence of economic crises.
Develop synthetic and analytical skills to: a. analyze and compare patterns of development in the North, South and East, b. discern forms of globalization.
Critically assess their impact on social, entrepreneurial and business structure and change.
Acquire the foundations for post-graduate studies in Economic, Social and Business History, in Business Studies and Economics, also in European Studies.

Subjects covered:

Introduction to the Social and Economic History of Europe
Social and Economic developments from the 6th to the 20th century.

EPO12: GEOGRAPHY HUMAN GEOGRAPHY & MATERIAL CULTURE OF EUROPE

Module code: EPO12

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Compulsory

Year: 2^nd

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: On the successful completion of ΕΠΟ12, the students are expected to develop abilities:

To understand the meaning of “Europe” since its inception during antiquity, to recognize its boundaries at different historical periods and recall the transformations of borders around and within Europe, their relocations and hierarchies from 16th century and the periods of colonialism and globalization, until the European unification and the present EU crisis.
To examine the science of Geography as taught in the European Universities as an important science, based on the ancient Greek scientific tradition, and to understand its shrinkage in modern Greece; to discern between the complex and interdisciplinary approach and the descriptive one, as taught at school.
To comprehend the role of Geography in the formation of European material, virtual and spiritual culture, and vice versa; to perceive the processes of European and national identity formation, appreciate and evaluate the primary role of spatiality in European culture and grasp the cultural changes in relation to their spatial contexts.
To recognize and critically assess the “Paradigm shifts” in Geography and grasp the differences in narratives, methods and ways of interpretation of fundamental socio-economic phenomena in space; to understand the interaction of space and human activity mediated by epistemological shifts and geographical imaginations, which play a central role in European culture.
To analyze uneven development in geographical space from the global to the local scale, the multiple divisions and disparities among European regions, the contribution of specific places in European cultural, scientific and socio-economic development, and to comprehend spatial interaction, networking and cosmopolitanism of innovative activities and processes.
To analyze processes of spatial differentiation and restructuring in contemporary Europe and its regions from the era of the industrial revolution to that of globalization – i.e. from 19th to 21st century – and more concretely: urbanization, urban landscapes from human ecology until postmodernity, migration, industrial restructuring, technological development, socio-economic transformation, political developments and social movements in European space.
To understand and interpret cartographical data after familiarization with the maps and the thematic cartography of Europe.

Subjects covered:

Geography
Human Geography and Material culture of Europe

EPO22: PHILOSOPHY IN EUROPE

Module code: EPO22

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Compulsory

Year: 2^nd

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: On the successful completion of EPO 22 students are expected to develop various skills, such as:

The ability to recognize, understand and critically assess key-concepts and significant philosophical theories and to comprehend their socio-historical context.
The ability to critically assess, analyze and discuss various and even conflicting- philosophical arguments, approaches and traditions.
The development of independent critical thinking and analytical skills, which are crucial factors in forging integrated personalities and, consequently, responsible citizens.
The ability to study and interpret original philosophical texts as well as to critically assess secondary literature on philosophical issues.
The ability to form and successfully employ logically sound and convincing arguments.
The ability to write academic essays in the field of philosophy.
The ability to link various aspects of philosophical thinking and related debates with current social and political issues.

Subjects covered:

Philosophy from the 6th to the 16th century
The Enlightenment (17th – 18th century)
Modern and Contemporary Philosophical trends (19th – 20th century

EPO20: HISTORY OF ARTS IN EUROPE

Module code: EPO20

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Compulsory

Year: 3^rd

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the module students will be expected to be able to:

Name artistic features, important artists, architectural elements, key examples of works of visual arts and of music, artistic innovations, historical factors, artistic programs, categories of artistic subjects, principal characteristics of music genres
Display similarities/ differences between works of visual arts, orientations in architecture in relation to technology and aesthetics
Distinguish artistic styles, differences between artistic styles, iconographical components, particular architectonic characteristics, particular musical characteristics, features of style, contribution of musical genres to the evolution of music, innovation in music
Understand distinctive artistic expressions, musical terms, methods of music, transition in music genres, evolution in visual arts and music, use and potentiality of new materials in art
Describe works of visual arts and of music, artistic occurrences, innovations in style, artistic technics, architectural construction problems, use of musical instruments, musical forms, use of musical forms
Analyze the relation between history and art, the meaning of artistic production, artistic features, artistic terms, artistic movements, musical forms, iconographical subjects
Examine changes in art, differences between styles, evolution of musical genres, transition in music history, artistic objectives, artistic technics, the function of works of visual arts, musical achievements, particular issues of form, artistic categories and trends
Correlate/ Juxtapose works of visual arts and of music, theories of art, artistic styles
Specify personal artistic components

Subjects covered:

Fine Arts from the Middle Ages to the Late Renaissance
Fine Arts from the late Renaissance (Mannerism 1530) to the end of the 20th century Music in Europe

EPO30: ΒYZANTINE & WESTERN WORLD

Module code: EPO30

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Optional

Year: 3rd or 4^th

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the unit the students will be able to:

to recall and identify key events which marked the course of the Byzantine East and the Latin/Italian West as well as their relations.
to describe and interpret phenomena of convergence, divergence and conflict between the two worlds, using good examples.
to analyze the factors which had a decisive influence on the relations between the two worlds, and distinguish their results and implications.
to reflect critically on individual topics concerning the complex relations between East and West, and compose essays based on material from published sources.
to assess the fluctuations in the relations of both worlds and express their opinion with coherent and sophisticated arguments, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the issues involved.
to utilize the learning material for the better understanding of the East-West relations in the modern and contemporary times.

Subjects covered:

Byzantine and Western Civilization: Convergence and divergence
Renaissance and Humanism
Reformation and Counterreformation

EPO32: EDUCATION IN EUROPE: FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO MODERN ERA

Module code: EPO32

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Optional

Year: 3rd or 4^th

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Course Description: The course aims at unfolding the socio-historical development of education and pedagogical ideas in Europe, from the middle ages to modernity and post modernity. The role of the church is moreover underlined as regards the dawning and the initial control of educational provision and its constant influence on the educational matters. The educational systems of European countries are examined within their social and economic framework, as well as vocational education and life-long learning.

Learning Outcomes: Students, upon completion of course are expected to:

acknowledge the significance of Education, as one of the main institutions that affect (the) social formations and transformations,
elaborate their ethnocentric attitudes on Education and reconsider them in the light of the European and global paradigms,
understand the ways in which educational developments relate to broader social and political issues,
comprehend the history of educational systems as a two-way process, from the past to the present and vice-versa.

Subjects covered:

History of Education
Sociology of Education
The Historical and Sociological Dimensions of Adult Education

EPO33: EVOLUTION AND GOVERNANCE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Module code: EPO33

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Optional

Year: 3rd or 4^th

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: On the successful completion of ΕΠΟ33, students are expected to develop abilities to recognize and analyze with an interdisciplinary and critical approach:

The changing concept of “Europe” and the basic dimensions of the creation and development of the EU (EC, EEC in the past) of 27 and soon 28 member states, the construction of European Economic Space, the European Neighbourhood Policy, changes and hierarchies of borders, distinctions between the EU, the Eurozone, and other subdivisions in different periods, as well as their cultural impact in the meaning of nation state, citizenship, cultural identity and cosmopolitanism in the course of unification since the past century
The composition and the impact of consecutive accessions and the transitions and transformations of European cultures created by them, as well as the uniqueness of the European unification venture, which constitutes a particular form of cooperation among nation states, common organization of institutional frameworks, and development of policies, which constitutes a unique contribution of European culture.
The current dynamics of the broader European space and the europeanix=zation process as a controversial cultural venture, in juxtaposition with cultural particularities of each nation state in the framework of more general trends developing during the unification process. The EU includes different, sometimes contradictory, cultural discourses, which are imprinted in institutional organization on the one hand, and difference among civil societies on the other, which students of ΕΠΟ33 are led to understand.
The political and institutional dimensions of European culture wherein the phenomenon of European unification transformed policy and diplomacy as well as economic, social and cultural life in Europe: the structure, institutional composition and policies of the contemporary EU of the 27 member states, oriented towards modernity as a culture and system of institutions and practices developed by social and political agents, as well as the establishment of a peculiar directorate within the EU under the hegemony of neoliberalism, which is conducive to and unable to manage the crisis during the 21st century.

Subjects covered:

The postwar formation of the European Communities and their development.
Formation of Institutions, policies and successive expansions until today.

EPO42: CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACHES IN EUROPEAN SOCIETIES

Module code: EPO42

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Optional

Year: 3rd or 4^th

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: The students of the course module, upon its completion, should be able to:

To recall, formulate and reproduce the basic arguments related to the emergence and evolution of the capitalist system, which emerged and developed in the context of European civilization.
To search and recompose chains of arguments concerning the construction of the modernization paradigm in the context of European civilization. Moreover, the students should be able to justify and ascertain the factors and the mechanisms that have an impact on the expansion of capitalism in countries outside the Western world.
To converse with the theoretical material of the course, and also to be able to analyze and compare the use of theoretical concepts by various scientists and researchers.
To understand and utilize the theoretical concepts they were taught in the context of the course (e.g. social structure, social action, social capital, civil society, etc.) and have the capacity to juxtapose those concepts against the social reality within which they live and act.
To comprehend the differences between the theoretical concepts/ tools, the observations made on the basis of these theoretical concepts and the empirical reality that they experience. On such basis, they should be able to understand the use and the limits of theory for the study of social, economic, political and cultural phenomena
To evaluate and interpret the contemporary social phenomena by placing them in the appropriate historical, sociopolitical and cultural context. Moreover, they should have the capacity to construct interpretations for these phenomena based on the argumentation which can be formulated on the basis of observations as well as the use of empirical or statistical material.

Subjects covered:

Weber’s protestant work ethic thesis
Liberal radicalism and revolutionary movements during the 19th century
Colonialism and rivalry

EPO43: POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES IN 20th CENTURY EUROPE

Module code: EPO43

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Optional

Year: 3^rd or 4^th

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: After completing this module, students will be expected to:

Demonstrate a good understanding of the concept of ideology and its multiple role in political and social life.
Be able to assess issues concerning the relationship between ideology and theory and engage themselves in the end of ideology debate.
Be familiar with the main features liberalism, socialism, conservatism, fascism, anarchism, nationalism.
Be able to present and analyse the underlying principles of each ideology and critically assess their mutual criticisms.
To assess the ideological origins of alternative public policy choices.

Subjects covered:

European political ideologies during the 20th century: with emphasis on the most recent ideological currents, especially during the post- Soviet period

ELP30 Letters II: Modern Greek Literature (19th and 20th c.)

Module code: ELP30

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Optional

Year: 3^rd

Language: Greek

Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of module ELP30, students:

Will have acquired a basic knowledge about authors, literary works and the general pattern of the history of modern Greek literature (19th-20th centuries).
Will have acquired an understanding of the features of fundamental aesthetic trends (romanticism, symbolism, naturalism, etc.) and movements (e.g. Surrealism) in 19th- and 20th-century art.
Will have acquired a basic understanding of the main literary schools and tendencies of modern Greek literature in the 19th and 20th centuries (e.g. Ionian school, generation of the 1880s, generation of the 1930s, etc.).
Will have acquired an understanding of the basic narrative modes and morphological characteristics operating in literary texts.
Will have developed an intellectual mode of thinking, on the basis of the above learning outcomes, on issues of literary history and literary theory.
Also, students will have acquired the required skills and abilities,
For comprehension and critical reading of literary texts (poetry and prose) of modern Greek literature (19th-20th centuries).
For comprehension and critical reading of literary criticism and scholarly writing.
To place a literary work in its historical and cultural context.
To compose an essay in a systematic manner and to present their findings from the analysis of literary texts and careful study of relevant academic material in a competent and meaningful way.

Subjects covered:

Greek Romanticism: Poetry of the Ionian and the Athenian School
Memoirs
The 1880s generation
Cavafy – Sikelianos – Kazantzakis – Karyotakis
The 1930s generation
Postwar and contemporary literature

EPO41: SOCIAL THEORY AND MODERNITY

Module code: EPO41

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Compulsory

Year: 4th

Language: Greek

Unit Outline

Learning Outcomes: Students, upon completion of course ΕΠΟ 41, should be able to:

recall, outline and describe basic aspects of social thought in relation to the question of modernity
discuss, compare and analyze the observed differentiations between thinkers and schools of thought in relation to modernity
insert these theoretical quests with all their significant practical repercussions in the broad current of European civilization and its ongoing globalization.

Subjects covered:

Wittgenstein and the linguistic turn
The Human Sciences

ELP12 Arts I: Greek Visual Arts, Review of the Greek Architecture and Urban Planning- Urban Design

Module code: ELP12

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Optional

Year: 4^th

Language: Greek

Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of ELP12, students will be able to:

Recognize the dominant role of art in the formation of Greek culture and civilization, more precisely the function, character, form, influence, symbolic role and “multidimensional content of Greek art, architecture and urban planning/design per category, period (prehistoric, classical, Byzantine, post-Byzantine/learned and popular, modern and contemporary from the 19th century until the present), and currents of thought.
Understand in synthetic manner the central points of aesthetic outlooks, ancient, Byzantine and contemporary, Greek but also Western and Eastern, through the contribution of aesthetic theory and philosophy of art.
Perceive critical approaches and dimensions of the relation between art, space, the urban and regional landscape and society as much from the standpoint of the historical background pertaining at each time as from the standpoint of the present through the contribution of the appropriate theory.
Recognize the gaze as the beginning (artist), the fulfillment (through the social body) and as narrative representation of the creative praxis.
Be aware of basic elements of the visual arts from all periods of the Greek art, thematic axes, techniques and materials, ancient and modern, including technologies of the present time.
Be aware of the local and international contribution of modern Greek creators and theoreticians of art, architecture and urban design-planning with reference to artistic trends and styles and their social and theoretical contribution.
Locate continuities and mutual influences among the arts in various depths of the Greek temporal stratification and on various spatial scales, from the scale of the isolated artwork to the architectural and the urban design-planning, considered as artistic and temporal convergences in the Greek space and, after Byzantium, as such convergences among Greece, the wider Mediterranean space and the West.
Compare art, architectural and urban planning-design works of different periods in regard to their form, content and function.
Understand the social, aesthetic and developmental components of the protection of artworks and monuments, of monumental complexes and monumental networks. Also, the influence of the above and of the management of visual memory towards the production of new artistic, architectural and urban planning-design works.
Prepare academic essays applying their critical faculties, make competent use of the right terminology, pursue originality and employ varied bibliographical resources as well as visual materials of various kinds (images, videos, digital materials, etc.) in a critical manner.
Apply acquired foundational and critical skills and abilities as well as their aesthetic education in subsequent modules of the Study Program in synthetic manner.

Subjects covered:

Principles, values and ideal of the Greek art, categories, periods, essential elements of the figurative work, themes, techniques and materials, function and character per period.
Aesthetic outlooks, “ekphraseis”* from antiquity to the present time.
The postwar profile of Greek art, the international presence of Greek artists. Periods of Greek urban planning/urban design and architecture (prehistoric, classical, Byzantine and popular architecture, modern and contemporary architecture 19th-20th century).

*An ekphrasis (ekphraseis in pl.) is the aesthetic experience of qualified spectators acquired by means of a trajectory through space, enclosed or open.

ELP22 Greek Philosophy and Science from Antiquity to the Twentieth Century

Module code: ELP22

ECTS Credit Points: 20

Module Type: Optional

Year: 4^th

Language: Greek

Learning Outcomes: After having successfully completed module ELP22:

Students should be able to understand:

The historical evolution of the philosophical and scientific activity developed in the wider Greek geographical area from the period of the Pre-Socratic philosophers until the 20th century.
The similarities and the differences of the main arguments of Greek philosophical and scientific theories in their process of evolution through the development of the respective movements, schools, and traditions.
The content of Ancient Greek philosophical and scientific thought and its contribution to the development of Western civilization.
The components that render Byzantium a historically interesting period from a philosophical and a scientific perspective.
The grounds which render Neohellenic Enlightenment a period of productive philosophical and scientific activity that made a substantial contribution to the formation of Greek national identity.
The particulars of continuity and discontinuity of the intellectual production during the main periods of Greek history.

Students should acquire the following capacities and skills:

To acquaint themselves with the use of the main methodological research tools in the fields of the history of philosophy, the history of science, and the history of ideas.
To compose written work meeting the academic standards, drawing upon sources and secondary literature and concluding with well-substantiated claims.
To utilize the findings of contemporary research in the field of Greek philosophy and science in order to facilitate their further engagement with particular subject areas within this module.

Subjects covered:

Principles of Greek Philosophy. Differences from other ancient civilizations, such as those of India and China. Questions and evolution of ideas.
The Presocratic Philosophers, Plato and Aristotle.
Hellenistic philosophy: Epicurus and the Stoics.
Philosophy and Theology. The Fathers of the Church.
Neoplatonism and Aristotelism during the Byzantine Era.
Science in Antiquity: Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Medicine, Geography, Art of War.
Continuity of Thought during the Byzantine Period. Byzantine concept of the Law.
The Greek diaspora-modern Greek enlightenment.
Modern Philosophy.