The course will explore the foundations of Western Culture as it evolved from the ancient world to modernity. The role of three distinct influences, embodied in the cites of Athens, Jerusalem and Rome, will be emphasized.

The first city is Athens, where the ancient Greek philosophers, particularly Plato and Aristotle, described the basis of the social order—what was required for people to live together and to thrive in society. Ethics and politics are, they believed, at the root of man’s existence: ethics is what establishes one’s character, and politics is the means by which human beings can achieve the good life. Aristotle, whose writings have had a profound influence on conservative thought, understood the needs of the individual and his relationship to community. Man is a political animal, he taught, and only recognizes his talents and how to use them for the common good if he is part of a community. The Greek philosophers, however, added nothing to the argument for liberty; in fact, Greek philosophy tended to advocate total subjugation of the individual by the state.

The second city is Jerusalem, where the concept of a transcendent order originated—the understanding that true law comes from God and that God is the source of order and justice. From Jerusalem came one of the most essential ideas of conservatism—that man does not have all the answers, that there is a power greater than man to which we owe our lives and everything that is good. The Hebrews in the Old Testament taught that God made a covenant or compact with His people; He decreed laws by which they should live, and from that revelation we eventually developed modern ethics and modern law. The idea of a compact forms the very basis of our modern political order.

The third city is Rome, where we learn of the highest form of government, the republic, and the use of the separation of powers and checks and balances for the control of political power. Rome also provided the very idea of the rule of law—how law was necessary to preserve order and liberty, and how it needed to be reliable and consistent. Until the Roman republic collapsed, Roman statesmen such as Cato and Cicero also taught us about virtue as a necessary restraint on the passions of men, vital for the preservation of liberty. The Roman Empire, which followed the republic, taught little about individual liberty, of course, but a great deal about the use, and abuse, of power.

 Dawson, Christopher, Religion and the Rise of Western Culture,(London,Sheed and Ward, 1950.);

 Dawson, Christopher, Understanding Europe, (London, Sheed and Ward, 1952.);

 Brague, Remi, Eccentric Culture: a Theory of Western Civilization, (South Bend, St. Augustine’s Press, 2002.);

 Ratzinger, Joseph, Europe: Today and Tomorrow, (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2005.)

Hollister, C. Warren, et. al. The West Transformed: A History of Western Civilization, Vol. 1, (Harcourt, 2000.);

Larson, Eugene. Study Guide to Accompany “The West Transformed: A History of Western Civilization, Vol. 1,(Harcourt, 2000.)

Stark, Rodney, The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success, (New York, Random House, 2005.)

1. Redovito pohađanje nastave – prisutnost na najmanje 70% nastave prema studijskom programu i izvedbenom nastavnom planu;

2. Uredno izvršene seminarske obveze – pripremljeno izlaganje te predana pisana verzija;

3. Stjecanje minimalnog uspjeha od 35% tijekom nastave unutar zadanih nastavnih aktivnosti – kumulativno ostvareno na seminarskim obvezama i na dva kolokvija.

Kontinuirano vrednovanje studentskog rada kroz:

 1)        Nastavne aktivnosti  – seminarsko izlaganje; 1. kolokvij (pismeni) i 2. kolokvij (pismeni)

2)        Završni ispit (usmeni).

Brojčana ljestvica ocjenjivanja studentskog rada je:

dovoljan (2): 50-64,9%

dobar (3): 65-79,9-%

 vrlo dobar (4): 80-89.9%

izvrstan (5): 90-100%

Način stjecanja ocjene:

 a) Nastavne aktivnosti – 70% ocjene

 1) seminarske obveze – 10%

 2) 1. kolokvij – 30%

 3) 2. kolokvij – 30%

  b) Završni ispit – 30% ocjene

 1) Usmeni ispit – 30% (za prolaz je nužno riješiti 50% ispita)