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The Cosmopolitan Imaginary (CULS90011)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 6.25On Campus (Parkville)
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
Availability | July |
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Fees | Look up fees |
Cosmopolitanism is an ideal that has persisted in different forms throughout many civilizations. It has been influential in anthropology, art history, political theory and cultural studies. More recently, there has been an attempt to relate this concept to non-Western theories of universalism, belonging and humanitarian philosophy. In this subject there will be a strong focus on the Classical and Hellenistic philosophers the Stoics – that represented a radical vision of equality. They proposed a notion of an ideal state – a Republic that would be populated by sages. The status of sage was open to all irrespective of race, class or gender. In this imaginary Republic a cosmic city was envisaged of unrestricted citizenship and in which the regulative institutions will have withered away. These simple propositions have also earned them the epithet that they were the first to conceive of a cosmopolitan worldview. Most surveys of the history of the concept of cosmopolitanism start with a dutiful acknowledgement of the Stoics. It will then leap forward to the Enlightenment accounts of cosmopolitanism and Kant, and his enduring influence on contemporary theorists such as Habermas and Derrida. Finally, it will take a wider optic, and address a range of Chinese and Japanese scholars that can provide alternative traditions of cosmopolitan thinking.
Generic skills
- Enhanced knowledge of the theory of cosmopolitanism
- A comparative understanding of a key concept in Western and non-Western thought
- An ability to reflect upon their own research work in relation to the content of the module
- Enhanced engagement with leading-edge research in particular areas of the Humanities and Social Sciences today, and an ability to relate cultural theory to contemporary practice in the arts and cultural sector
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Must be enrolled in PhD Arts
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
Description | Timing | Percentage |
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Essay
| From Week 3 to Week 6 | 100% |
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
- July
Principal coordinator Nikos Papastergiadis Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 12 hours, 6 x 2 hour seminar Total time commitment 85 hours Teaching period 3 August 2020 to 11 September 2020 Last self-enrol date 11 August 2020 Census date 21 August 2020 Last date to withdraw without fail 18 September 2020 Assessment period ends 9 October 2020
Time commitment details
85
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.
Last updated: 3 November 2022