Importance of values in the changing world / Význam hodnot v měnícím se světě

/vyučováno v angličtině/

The subject focuses on the question of values at the beginning of 21st century: whether there exist any and how one can tell, which values are considered to be important and which are losing their significance, what the impacts are of the value dynamics in the Euro-American society, whether it is the case to speak about an overwhelming nihilism and so on. The ethical perspective is applied onto important topics of the study programme Transcultural Communication, such as the growing cultural heterogeneity, migration wave, the so-called clash of civilisations or the growing social and political polarisation. The thinking of the Italian psychologist and philosopher Umberto Galimberti, dealing with the theory of moral decay of the West and the widespread nihilism among the European youth, will be presented. To finish the course, both credit and exam are necessary. The credit is based on work in the seminars, more precisely on the writing and oral presentation of the so-called position papers – essays explaining an ethical standpoint – related to the studied topics. The oral exam verifies the basic knowledge of the student about contemporary news and the ability to answer the key questions thanks to good knowledge of facts and mature ethical analysis.

Main topics – outline:
– Values from anthropological perspective
– Major value shifts in European history
– Current value controversies I – cultural heterogeneity
– Current value controversies II – migration
– Current value controversies III – clash of civilizations
– Current value controversies IV – social polarisation
– The era of nihilism? – reflection on Umberto Galimberti

SOKOLÍČKOVÁ, Zdenka. Challenges for transcultural communication. Ostrava: Moravapress, 2014.