Core Cultures

Western Culture is a two-semester sequence that introduces students to the history, cultural achievements, and dilemmas of western civilization, from its roots in the early civilizations of the Middle East to the present day. A variety of texts--literary, philosophic, theological, artistic--are examined. Western Culture 101 covers the period from early human societies to 1500 through topics such as Hebrew culture, the Greek world, the Roman world, the rise of Christianity, the Middle Ages, the rise of Islam, and the Renaissance. Western Culture 102 covers 1500 to the present day through topics such as the Protestant Reformation, Enlightenment, the French Revolution, Communism, the World Wars, post-colonial struggles, the changing role of women, and globalization.

Western Culture courses support the College's mission of "forming good men and good citizens." An understanding of "our" culture is implicit in the definition of liberal education, and the program itself exemplifies the values identified in our mission statement and in our statement of educational goals. The program also fosters the development of critical thinking, researching, evaluating, writing, speaking and discussing.

Global Cultures courses introduce students to global processes across time by comparing cultures across global regions and tracing common experiences.  The courses are thematically organized and contextually centered, and compare hierarchal structures, cultural frameworks, and regional and global networks from the beginning of human history to the present.  Also using a variety of texts, the courses emphasize how contingency and human agency have shaped the global past, how civilizations are mutable works in progress, and how texts serve as examples of authors writing within specific historical contexts.  Global Cultures 103 covers the period from the beginning of human history to 1500 and examines themes such as riverine cultures, ordering society, salvation religions, and intercultural networks of "Afro-Eurasia."  Global Cultures 104 covers 1500 to the present and examines themes like intercultural contact & commerce, colonization, the European revolutions, global reactions to modernity, and globalization. 

Twenty-first-century Hampden-Sydney graduates will increasingly encounter peoples and regions of the world far different from their own.  Global Cultures courses aim to provide a strong academic preparation to understand the historical context of such global interaction.  Global Cultures courses present a general introduction to the frameworks that shaped "the world." 

To complete the Core Cultures Program, students are required to take both Western Culture 101 and 102, and either Global Cultures 103 or 104, for a total of three courses.