Cultures in International Relations (in English)

Syllabus

1. Terminology and key categories of interpretation of cultures and civilizations. Terms – culture and civilization. Explanation of relations between individual systems and classes of cultural elements. Cultural models. 2. European culture. European roots of Western civilization. Periods of European culture development: Antics, Christianity, Humanism, Renaissance, and Enlightenment. Industrial and post-industrial era. The period of critical self-reflection. Scope of values. Cultural politics of the European Union, its political and legal scope. 3. Russian culture. Development phases of formation of Russian culture. Orthodoxy as religious basics of Russian culture. Scope of values. Totalitarianism and propaganda in Soviet culture. 4. Cultural and civilizational identity of the USA. Development phases of formation of the American culture. Specific features of formation of the American culture. Scope of values of American society and current issues of American society. 5. Multiculturalism in Canada. Formation of Canadian society. Reasons and forms of institutionalization of multiculturalism in Canada. Current issues of Canadian society. The position of native population. 6. Latin American cultures. Term of Latin America. Main pre-Columbian civilizations. Specifics of formation of current cultures in Latin America. Current discussion on colonialism and colonial heritage in Latin American region. 7. Islamic culture and Islamic civilization. Origins of Islamism and its establishment. Geographical expansion and specifics. Islamization as a factor of identity of countries. 8. Indian culture. Hinduism and Buddhism. Origins and establishment of Indian civilization. Hinduism and Buddhism and their scope of value. Current issues of Indian society. 9. Chinese culture. Confucianism. Origins and establishment of Chinese civilization and its scope of value. Confucianism and its meaning in the region of South-Eastern Asia. Specifics of Chinese culture. 10. Japanese and Korean cultures. Origins and establishment of Japanese culture. Historical sources of Korean culture. Phases of development and specific features of Japanese and Korean cultures. 11. Jewish culture. Origins of Jewish culture and its scope of value. Judaism and its specifics. Current social issues of Israeli society. 12. African culture. Reasons of specific social and cultural development of the African continent. European colonialism and its consequences for cultural and social development of the continent. Regional, cultural, language and social specifics of Africa. 13. Cultural diplomacy. Definition of term. Examples of cultural diplomacy and its realization in Slovak conditions. Culture, new tools of democracy.