European Thought and Culture
A survey of modern European intellectual and cultural history from MIT OpenCourseWare, tracing arguments that shaped humanities scholarship across the continent. Topics include the critique of religion, the rise of individual independence, the advance of capitalism, the appeal of Marxism, the origins of totalitarianism, and the dialectic of enlightenment. Readings draw on foundational texts from thinkers across this period, paired with discussion of paintings and film that illustrate the same currents. The course materials include the syllabus, readings list, and assignments as published by MIT, free to access with no certificate attached. It works as a foundation course for anyone wanting grounding in how European thinkers argued through religion, economics, and political catastrophe in the modern era, treating art and film as primary sources alongside philosophical and political texts.