GEAR 211 | Course Introduction and Application Information - Department of International Trade and Finance

Course Name

Communication, Literature and Philosophy

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
GEAR 211	Fall/Spring	3	0	3	5

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Service Course
Course Level	First Cycle
Mode of Delivery	-
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course	-
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	-
Course Lecturer(s)	Öğr. Gör. Dr. Aslı Çiftçi
Assistant(s)	-

Course Objectives	This module aims to introduce students to analytic thinking and philosophizing via short readings and analysis of literary texts, art works, photography and cinema.
Learning Outcomes	The students who succeeded in this course; explain the parallels between the history of philosophy and the history of communication/art/literature compare the changes and developments in philosophical thinking with the changes and developments of the means and methods of communication evaluate the role of literary texts in providing answers to the major philosophical questionscompare compare the changes and developments in philosophical thinking with the changes and developments of the means and methods of communication provide provide answers to the question of the extent to which the fundamental questions of Western philosophy, including being, subject and consciousness, have determined the practices of communication, art and literature explain the links between different philosophical currents and the main analytic methods of the discipline of communications, including rhetoric, semiotics, discourse analysis and content analysis explain the effects of binary oppositions that lie at the foundations of Western philosophy on the development of literature and arts in particular, and of communications and culture in generalrelate the creation of literary and artistic works to the knowledge derived from the ethical, aesthetical and political spheres of philosophy.
Course Description	This course focuses on the historical trajectory of western philosophy in parallel to its relations particularly with literature and art, and generally with culture and communications.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	What is Reality? How do philosophy and film represent the conflict between appearance and reality?	Reading: The Allegory of the Cave - Media: The Matrix
2	What Does It Mean to Be Human? Existentialism and the concept of self. What makes us human? How does technology affect this question?	Reading: Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity - Media: Blade Runner
3	What is Freedom? The tension between freedom and responsibility. What is the cost of freedom in both philosophical and digital realms?	Reading: Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov - Media: The Social Dilemma
4	What is the Absurd? The absurd and the search for meaning. How do different mediums represent the absurdity of existence?	Reading: Albert Camus, The Plague - Media: Cindy Sherman’s photography
5	How Should We Live? Ethics and moral philosophy. How do we balance personal freedom with societal norms?	Reading: Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (continued) - Media: The Truman Show
6	Utopian Visions and Ideal Societies. Utopia and social structures. How are utopian and dystopian ideals explored in literature?	Reading: Thomas More, Utopia - Media: The Matrix (selected scenes)
7	What is Alienation? Alienation and isolation in modern life. How do literature and film depict alienation? and loss of identity?	Reading: Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis - Media: Blade Runner
8	Midterm Week
9	Death, Desire, and Decadence. Mortality and desire. How do desire and societal expectations shape human existence?	Reading: Thomas Mann, Death in Venice
10	The Power of Social Norms. Social norms and moral behavior. How do societal expectations influence moral decisions?	Gabriel García Márquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold
11	What is Truth? The search for truth in a post-truth world. How does media influence our understanding of truth?	Reading: Selected essays on truth - Media: The Truman Show
12	Ethical Dilemmas in Modern Communication. Ethics in the digital age. How does modern communication technology challenge ethical responsibilities?	Reading: Selected essays on ethics and communication - Media: The Social Dilemma
13	Philosophy and Technology: The Role of Digital Media. How digital media influences philosophical inquiry. How has technology reshaped the way we engage with philosophical questions?	Excerpts on philosophy and technology
14	Student Presentations
15	Student Presentations
16	Review of the Semester

Course Notes/Textbooks

Suggested Readings/Materials

- Plato, The Allegory of the Cave (from The Republic)

- Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity

- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

- Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis

- Albert Camus, The Plague

- Orhan Pamuk, Snow

- Thomas More, Utopia

- Thomas Mann, Death in Venice

- Gabriel García Márquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold

- Film: The Matrix

- Film: Blade Runner

- Documentary: The Social Dilemma

- Visual Art: Selected works of Cindy Sherman

Additional readings and materials will be provided on the course platform.

Semester Activities	Number	Weigthing
Participation
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments	1	20
Presentation / Jury	1	30
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm	1	50
Final Exam
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade	3	100
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
Total

Semester Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Theoretical Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours)	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)	16		0
Study Hours Out of Class	16	3	48
Field Work			0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques			0
Portfolio			0
Homework / Assignments	1	14	14
Presentation / Jury	1	15	15
Project			0
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms	1	25	25
Final Exam			0
		Total	150

#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to identify and analyze problems in the field of trade and finance, and to develop solutions.	-	-	-	-	-
2	To be able to use the theoretical and practical knowledge gained in the field of International Trade and Finance.	-	-	-	-	-
3	To be able to analyze the developments in global markets by using critical thinking skills.	-	-	-	-	-
4	To be able to analyze and interpret data in the field of finance, commerce and economics by using information technologies effectively.	-	-	-	-	-
5	To be able to acquire knowledge about the legal regulations and practices in the field.	-	-	-	-	-
6	To be able to foresee and define the risks that could be encountered in the field of trade and finance and to take decisions to manage such risks.	-	-	-	-	-
7	To be able to acquire and use verbal and numerical skills necessary for the nature of international trade and finance program.	-	-	-	-	-
8	To be able to obtain, synthesize and report the information related to the fields of trade and finance.	-	-	-	-	-
9	To be able to contribute to the solution of problems as individual, team member or leader.	-	-	-	-	-
10	To be able to evaluate the issues related to the field with an ethical perspective and social sensitivity.	-	-	-	-	-
11	To be able to collect data in the areas of International Trade and Finance and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).	-	-	-	-	-
12	To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently.	-	-	-	-	-
13	To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout human history to their field of expertise.	-	-	-	-	-