Lecture 1: Introduction, Concept of Public and Private in History

Course outline, themes discussed in the course, requirements. Public and Private in history (ancient Rome, Greece, etc.). Basic understanding of the concepts. Developments until 19. century.

Lecture 2: The Concept of Public Sphere in the work of Jurgen Habermas.

Reading: Habermas, J. (1991). The structural transformation of the public sphere: An inquiry into a category of bourgeois society. MIT press. Chapter: VI/20: From the Journalism of Private Men of Letters.

Lecture 3: Reception and Feminist Critiques

Reading: Fraser, N. (2021). Rethinking the public sphere: A contribution to the critique of actually existing democracy. In Public Space Reader (pp. 34-41). Routledge.

Lecture 4. Richard Sennett and The Fall of Public Man

Reading: Sennett, R. (2017). The fall of public man. WW Norton & Company. Chapters: 10, 11.

Lecture 5: Christopher Lasch: The Culture of Narcissism

Reading: Lasch, C. (2018). The culture of narcissism: American life in an age of diminishing expectations. WW Norton & Company. Chapter: II (The Narcissistic Personality) and IV (The banality of Pseudo-Self-Awareness).

Lecture 6: Discussion seminar I

Discussion of: Fraser, N. (2021). Rethinking the public sphere: A contribution to the critique of actually existing democracy. In Public Space Reader (pp. 34-41). Routledge.

Topics for presentation: Lasch. The culture of narcissism. Chapters: Chapter VI (schooling) or Chapter V (sport)

Lecture 7: Robert Putnam: Bowling Alone.

Reading: Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon and Schuster. Chapters: 1 and 14.

Lecture 8: Eva Illouz: Cold Intimacies

Reading: Illouz, E. (2007). Cold intimacies: The making of emotional capitalism. Polity. Chapters: I.

Lecture 9: Discussion seminar II

Discussion of: Illouz, E. (2007). Cold intimacies: The making of emotional capitalism. Polity. Chapter: I.

Topic for presentation: Chapter III. Romantic webs.

Lecture 10: Ari Adut: Public sphere as spectatorship

Reading: Adut, A. (2018). Reign of appearances: The misery and splendor of the public sphere. Cambridge University Press. Chapters I and II.

Lecture 11: Lecture 10: Privatism and relation to public sphere in post-communist countries of CEE

Reading: Hirt, S. A. (2012). Iron curtains: Gates, suburbs and privatization of space in the post-socialist city (Vol. 27). John Wiley & Sons. Chapter 2.

Lecture 12: Discussion seminar III, wrap up, summary

Reading: Hirt, S. A. (2012). Iron curtains: Gates, suburbs and privatization of space in the post-socialist city (Vol. 27). John Wiley & Sons. Chapter 2.

Topic for presentation: Adut. Reign of appearances: Chapter 8. Defense of spectatorship.

Lecture 13: Test