COURSE TITLE: What is Modernity?
COURSE CODE: CORE 102
CREDIT HOURS: 4
FACULTY: Dr. M. Haris
PRE REQUISITE: NIL.
DAYS: Monday, Wednesday and Friday* (In Ramzan, Friday classes will be held on Saturday)
TIMINGS: 8:30 AM – 10:10 AM
Course Description:
No one in the medieval world thought they were ‘medieval.’ The belief that we live in a distinct period of human history – that of ‘modernity’ – sets us apart from all pre-modern peoples. It is a defining aspect of who we are, essential to our modern identities. It is thus imperative to the task of understanding both ourselves and our world to ask the question: What is it to be modern? What is modernity? Our ‘modernity’ is the very air we breathe. It encompasses, at a gathering pace, all aspects of our lives. This is why the question of modernity has been a central concern across the range of disciplines and fields of the arts, humanities and social sciences throughout the modern period. This course is thus designed as a multidisciplinary study of key texts that illuminate the various features and structures of our lives and our world, of the dynamic culture of modernity. Examples of themes covered in the course are: Political modernity, Economic modernity, scientific modernity, Aesthetic modernity, Modernity and media, Modernity and gender, Modernity and the environment, Modernity and religion.
Through critical and intensive engagement – in discussion, debate, and writing – with both classic and contemporary texts from the history of reflection on modernity, students will gain a sophisticated and articulate understanding of both themselves and their world that will be further refined throughout the core.
Who can attend:
- Habib University Students
- Habib University Employees
- Regular full-time students enrolled in an Undergraduate or Master’s Program at any recognized University of Pakistan or aboard
