Bilkent University

Department of History

HCIV102: History of Civilization

Topic 3

The Twentieth Century: Was It A Good Thing?

In this Topic, we will examine some of the new and contemporary intellectual traditions which developed during the twentieth century. Here, I want us to think about the Twentieth Century (‘The Modern Age’) both from a contemporary (2011) perspective and from an historical perspective. What were the main features of the twentieth century? Have we progressed during the last 100 years … politically? socially? economically? ecologically? technologically? and so forth … Has history taught us anything?!

ESSAY DEADLINE: Monday 3 August 2015

· THEME: Society: Gender Issues and Feminism

· SELECTION FOR READING: Simone de Beauvoir: The Second Sex (pp. 724-753: ch. 10)

· THEME: Computers and the Digital Age

· SELECTION FOR READING: Alan Turing: Computing Machinery and Intelligence

· THEME: Consumerism and Globalization

· SELECTION FOR READING: George Ritzer: The McDonaldization Thesis

· THEME: Racism and Race Issues

· SELECTION FOR READING: Martin Luther King Jr: The Other America

Historical Background:

Chs. 24-30 of the textbook will have relevant material (depending on which texts you use), but I will try to give you the main ideas in the lectures.

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