Cultural Philosophy
Code: 108159Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities and Management of Culture | FB | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Joan Carles Cirera Izquierdo
- Email :
- joancarles.cirera@uab.cat
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
This course does not require any prerequisites, since it is mandatory to take it in the 1st year.
Objectives
We live within the biotope of culture, that invisible and at the same time omnipresent medium in which our true nature unfolds, even if we are often not fully aware of it. We do not access it from the outside: we are always already immersed in it. We inhabit it in the stories we tell ourselves to sustain the meaning of our existence, in the ways we relate to one another within the spaces and structures we have gradually inhabited, in the technology that extends and transforms our experience, or in the games and festivities we celebrate as interruptions of the everyday that, paradoxically, reveal it.
This course invites us to think about this web of meanings and to ask what makes us human, and how we have collectively built, among all of us, the symbols, imaginaries, and forms of life that shape our shared world. It is also a journey made with the women who have created, transmitted, transformed and have opened the culture, making visible a fundamental dimension of our condition that has too often been relegated in the dominant narrative.
The aim is, ultimately, to cultivate , curious, and critical way of looking at the world we inhabit, in order to better understand where we come from, what we are, and what horizons open before us, and thus to be able to imagine possible presents.
Learning outcomes
- CM07 (Discuss the influence of cultural diversity on the complexity of today's societies.) Discuss the influence of cultural diversity on the complexity of today's societies.
- KM11 (Identify the main elements and processes that define contemporary European culture.) Identify the main elements and processes that define contemporary European culture.
- KM12 (Recognise the constituent manifestations and defining concepts of a contemporary cultural baggage from a philosophical perspective.) Recognise the constituent manifestations and defining concepts of a contemporary cultural baggage from a philosophical perspective.
- KM13 (Identify the main currents, authors and historical contexts of feminist thought, as well as their influence on the configuration of contemporary cultural discourses.) Identify the main currents, authors and historical contexts of feminist thought, as well as their influence on the configuration of contemporary cultural discourses.
- SM09 (Discuss the influence that the texts of philosophers, both classical and current, have had on contemporary culture.) Discuss the influence that the texts of philosophers, both classical and current, have had on contemporary culture.
- SM10 (Analyse the reflections of different thinkers on what culture is, what we call culture and under what conditions it manifests itself.) Analyse the reflections of different thinkers on what culture is, what we call culture and under what conditions it manifests itself.
- SM11 (Use tools of cultural criticism to identify the influences of the main cultural currents on contemporary works.) Use tools of cultural criticism to identify the influences of the main cultural currents on contemporary works.
Contents
Philosophy of Culture – 1st Year
Part 1. What is culture? Where does culture come from?
1. Human incompleteness and neoteny.
2. Lévi-Strauss and the rules of social exchange. The symbolic animal.
3. Sylvia Wynter: *Homo Narrans*.
Part 2. Technology and Sacred Space (Play and Festival)
1. Hannah Arendt: "Homo Faber", the world of things.
2. The death of the Earth and mechanism. Technology as a human cultural prosthesis (Carolyn Merchant and Martin Heidegger).
3. Huizinga, Ortega y Gasset, and Caillois. The magic circle of play.
4. Between Bataille and Eliade. The sacred power of the festival.
Part 3. The Map of Culture in Bodies.
1. *Civilization and Its Discontents*. A permanent dialogue between Freud and Nietzsche.
2. The cultural invention of sex (gender and performance).
3. Intersectionality and coloniality.
Part 4. Contemporary Culture: Algorithms, Social Networks, Screens, and the Future.
1. The cultural industry and addictive algorithmic stimulation (Adorno, Han, and Heidegger).
2. Self-exploiting subjects and the attention economy (Byung-Chul Han).
3. Posthumanism and symbiotic survival (Braidotti, Haraway).
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual tutorials to monitor students’ learning progress, provide guidance throughout the course, and address conceptual, methodological, and content-related questions. | 8 | 0.32 | KM11, KM12, KM13 |
| Study and preparation for exams and in-class debates within the seminar sessions. | 45 | 1.8 | CM07, SM09, SM10, SM11 |
| Group tutorials held in the lecturer’s office to guide, supervise, and support the development of the collective project. | 8 | 0.32 | CM07, SM09, SM10, SM11 |
| Reading and study of the course materials available on the virtual campus and the required bibliography for the course. | 26 | 1.04 | KM11, KM12, KM13, SM10 |
| Masterclasses | 45 | 1.8 | KM11, KM12, KM13, SM09, SM10 |
The course methodology is based on an active learning model combining flipped classroom, discussion seminars, and project-based learning (PBL). Theoretical content is developed through materials available on the virtual campus, while in-person sessions focus on critical analysis, discussion, and the application of concepts. This approach is complemented by individual and group tutorials to support the learning process.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar. Participation in a guided academic debate, prepared in advance at the end of each thematic block. | 15% | 4 | 0.16 | CM07, KM13, SM09 |
| Written exam. Individual assessment consisting of short-answer questions and a textual analysis task. | 25% | 1 | 0.04 | KM11, KM12, KM13, SM09, SM10 |
| Course Reflection Journal. Students will write four short essays—one for each thematic unit of the course—based on the questions prompted by the professor. | 30% | 4 | 0.16 | CM07, KM12, SM09, SM10 |
| Group cultural criticism project. Students will work on a contemporary cultural phenomenon of their choice, strictly aligned with the framework of the contents presented in class. Both a written report and an oral presentation are required. | 30% | 9 | 0.36 | CM07, KM11, KM12, SM11 |
Review and Assessment Remediation.
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of theprocedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
Continuous Assessment.
The remediation process will consist of a comprehensive exam covering all the material presented in class. To eligible for the resit exam, students must have been previously assessed in a set of activities worth a minimum of two-thirds (2/3) of the final grade. A minimum average grade of 3.5 is required for the course.
Single Assessment Process.
To be eligible for the remediation process, students must have submitted all assessments scheduled throughout the course.
The same assessment method as continuous assessment will be used.
Not assessed.
Students will obtain a not assessed/not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30 % of the assessment items.
Academic misconduct (plagiarism and fraud).
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardles of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
Use of AI.
This subject allows the use of AI technologies exclusively for support tasks such as bibliographic or content-based searches, text correction or translations according to the lecturer’s criteria . Inthe case of subjects in a Modern Languages degree, use of translation must be specifically authorised by the teacher. Other specific situations may be contemplated, as deemed appropriate by the teacher.The student must clearly (i) identify which parts have been generated using AI technology; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in the assessed activity will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade may be lowered, or the work may even be awarded a zero. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
Erasmus and exchange estudents.
Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request
Bibliography
Bibliography.
Specialized bibliography by section.
First section.
Cassirer, Ernest (2019). Antropología filosòfica. FCE.
Lévi-Strauss, Claude (1981). Las estructuras elementales del parentesco. Editorial Paidós.
Lévi-Strauss, Claude (2016). Tristos tròpics. Anagrama
Wynter, Silvya(2003).Unsettling the coloniaty of being/power/truth/freedom: Towards the human,after Man, its overrepresentation- An argument. The New Centennial Rewiew.
Valdés García, F (Coord). (2017). Antología del pensamiento critico caribeño. Clacso.
Second section.
Arendt, Hannah (2023). La condició humana. Ed 62.
Merchant, Carolyn (1983). La muerte de la naturaleza: las mujeres, la ecologia y la revolución científica. Icaria Editorial.
Heidegger, Martín (2021). La pregunta por la técnica. Herder.
Huizinga, Johan (2012). Homo Ludens. Alianza Editorial.
Ortega y Gasset, José (2012).Meditación de la técnica. Diálogo Editorial
Ortega y Gasset, José (2022). Un tema de nuestro tiempo. Alianza Editorial.
Ortega y Gasset, José (2017). El origen Deportivo del Estado en El Espectador VIII. Alianza Editorial.
Caillois, Roger (2015). Los juegos y los Hombres. La Máscara y el vertigo. FCE.
Bataille, Georges (2007). La parte maldita. Las Cuarenta.
Eliade, Mircea (2018). Lo sagrado y lo profano. Austral.
Third section.
Freud, Sigmund (2008). El malestar de la civilització. Accent/Galatea.
Freud, Sigmund (2016). El porvenir de una ilusión. Amorrortu.
Nietzsche, Friedrich (2011). La genealogia de la moral. Alianza Editorial.
Nietzsche, Friedrich (2018). De la utilidad y los inconvenientes de la historia para la vida. Segunda consideración intempestiva. Tecnos.
Beauvoir, Simone de (2017). El segundo sexo. Cátedra.
Butler, Judith (2023). El género en disputa. Paidós.
Lugones, María (2008). Colonialidad y género. Tabula Rasa. Revista de Humanidades.
.Fourth section.
Adorno T.W.,Horkheimer M. (2016).Dialéctica de la Ilustración. Trotta.
Han, Byung-Chul (2024). La Sociedad del cansancio. Herder.
Braidotti, Rosi (2025). Lo Posthumano. Herder.
Haraway, Donna (2019).Seguir con el problema. Generar parentesco en el Chthuluceno. Consonni.
General Bibliography
Arendt , Hannah; Finkielkraut, Alain.(1989): La crisi de la cultura. Pòrtic.
Bauman, Zygmunt (2026). La cultura como praxis. Paidós.
Benjamin, Walter (2017). La obra de arte en la época de su reproductibilidad técnica. La Marca.
Benedict, Ruth. (1989): El hombre y la cultura. Edhasa.
Benhabib, Sheyla (2017). Existeix el dret a tenir drets? Breus 83. CCCB.
Bohannon, Cat (2025): Eva. Seix Barral.
Eagleton, T (2001). La idea de cultura. Paidós.
Coccia, Emanuelle (2007). La vida de las plantas. Miño y Dávila editores.
Federici, Silvia (2010). Calibán y la bruja .Mujeres, cuerpo y acumulación primitiva. Traficantes de sueños.
Fisher, Marc (2022). Realisme capitalista. No hi ha alternativa? Virus Editorial
Fraser, Nancy (2014). Repensar el capitalisme. Breus .CCCB.
Fraser, Nancy (2012). Sobre la justícia. Breus 57. CCCB.
Gadamer, H-G (1990). La herencia de Europa. Península
Geertz, C (2005). La interpretación de las culturas. Gedisa.
Gehlen, Arnold (1980). El hombre y su lugar en el mundo. Editorial Sígueme.
Leroi-Gourhan, André (1971). El gesto y la palabra. Universidad Central de Venezuela.
Mead, Margaret (1998). Masculino y Femenino. Minerva Ediciones.
Mead, Margaret (2019). Cultura y compromiso. Gedisa.
Preciado, Paul B. (2020). Manifiesto Contrasexual. Anagrama.
Sobrevilla, D. (Ed.) (2006). Filosofía de la cultura. Trotta
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Software
Since for the moment it does not seem necessary, for the normal development of the course, to think about periods of academic virtuality, no type of software or telematic connection platform is proposed to carry it out. Otherwise, we would return to them (Teams, Meet, Zoom, etc.), as well as to data transport systems (WeTransfer, for example).
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |