Overview
The study course is a worldview program oriented around current challenges in Ukraine and the global context. By actualization of nowadays issues concerning society as a whole and the individual as such, the program offers an intellectual and ethical compass to students. At the core of this methodology are the human being and its development.
Course topics
Module 1. “Astonishing Christianity”
This module is designed to present Christianity as a system of thinking, the central part of which is a human being. In addition, we actualize the place of Christianity in the modern world.
Class 1. “The Keys” to Christianity.
Class 2. Christianity – cultural and historical context.
Class 3. Christianity – a religion of the weak?
Module 2. “Astonishing Islam”
The important role of the Islamic world today is undeniable. However, often Islam and the Arab world in the minds of Westerners are full of contradictions.
We will compare the stereotypical image of the Middle East and Islam, which is formed mass culture with its real content. During the module, we will explore the unique combination of religious, cultural and political contexts of the Middle East.
Class 1. The Arab paradigm mindset.
Class 2. “The story of Aladdin: What We Can’t See”
Module 3. Ukraine: yesterday, today and tomorrow
As 100 years ago, Ukrainians are fighting for their right to exist. The process of formation of the Ukrainian nation is becoming more and more clear. At the same time, important stage in this process is self-identification. We will try to find answers to these questions by looking at the past of Ukrainians, the present, which is crucial, and dare to outline the place of
Ukrainians and Ukraine in the future.
Class 1. Who are Ukrainians and what do they want?
Class 2. Do Ukrainians have their own paradigm of thinking?
Class 3. Quo vadis, Ukraine? Discussion about the future of Ukraine and Ukrainians. Class 4. The exodus from Egypt: as an archetype of social transformations
Module 4. The idea of the University
The modern university very often plays the role of babysitter and a kind of “factory” to produce workforce for the market. Our goal is to problematize this trend, and on the other hand, we will look at the University as a place that was the “engine” of the best achievements of mankind.
Class 1. University as a community: role and purpose.
Class 2. What do we need UCU for? On the asymmetrical role of one community.
Module 5. Challenges of the digital age
During the twentieth century and even nowadays, human progress is mainly associated with rapid technological development. Despite its obvious benefits, technology also affects areas that were previously untouched. Let`s try to think about technological revolution in terms of ethical and cultural challenges.
Class 1. Homo Deus: how human becomes God.
Class 2. Artificial intelligence: Shaping the boundaries acceptable.
Class 3. Stanisław Lem`s universe: a fantasy that becomes reality.
Module 6: The future is closer than it seems
What impact will current processes have on the shape of the near future? The future is difficult to predict because it is not always amenable to analytical categories. Despite this, in this module we will outline the trends in religion, politics and economics that await us in the future, based on the current situation.
Class 1. Religious map of the world in 2050.
Class 2. The future of democracy.
Class 3. Economic models of the future – what kind of capitalism do we need?