Institutions: The Social Web

Again, we will use the reality of the reemergence of 9 key civilizations as a context for understanding how social institutions (family, religious communities, governmental infrastructures, and large and small NGOs) provide the cultural glue to any and every society.  Special attention will be given to the emergence of global cities and global tribes as central to the new emerging world of the 21^st century.  This class will also include touring of at least one major social institution.  Each student will complete the course with a brief treatise on provisional ideas for his or her future service in societies’ good institutions.  The specific objectives are:

• To understand the history of our cultural heritage
• To understand the power of culture in shaping our everyday lives
• To motivate future interest in and development in culture and its institutions
• To spark interest in understanding the global cities movement
• To sketch a future course for personal lifelong development in cultures global social web