Liberal Arts and Sciences - University College Freiburg - Universität ...

143.4 MajorsMajor: Culture and HistoryIn the Major Culture and History, we studythe arts, philosophies, religions, languages,and histories of peoples fromaround the world and through time.Broadly speaking, this Major covers thetraditional humanities disciplines in anuntraditional, interdisciplinary way.We believe that the study of culture is notjust a specialized activity of scholars, butrather is something that people do all thetime. When, for example, you argueabout the meaning of a new slang word,when you discuss the merits of a politicalparty, or when you ask yourself whatmatters most to you, you are informallystudying language, history, or philosophy.In Culture and History, we give rigor tothese debates, discussions, and reflectionsby inquiring into the relationshipbetween particular cultural forms andgeneral human problems, by putting ourown identities and commitments underscrutiny, and by opening ourselves tolearning about other peoples and otherWebsite: www.ucf.uni-freiburg.de/go/major1times. We ask questions, for instance,about specific objects. What makessomething an artwork and is it reallydifferent from other forms of humancreation, like technical ones? When westudy an artwork, what can we learnabout the culture and time period thatproduced it? What do we learn aboutourselves in the process? In what waysdo artworks engage in politics? How arethe past, the present, and the futurebound together by our efforts to understandcultural artefacts from anothertime or place?We also ask broader questions that linkour study of objects to social and politicalchallenges. What are the limits of understandinganother culture or anothertime? Is there a responsible way to criticizeaspects of someone else’s culture?How are personal identities enmeshed incommunities, cultures, and histories? Inwhat sense are individuals responsibleto or for the histories that define their wayof life?