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culture were K. Marx (1818-1883) and F. Engels (1820-1895). This concept is
based on the principle that the transforming material and social activities of people
determine the origin and development of their culture because their obejective is to
meet the material needs, as well as to form a person of high culture as a subject of

social activity.

2. Subject, purpose and tasks of the course ‘Culturology’

The culturology is a system of knowledge about the nature, laws of existence
and development and ways of cognizing the culture. Therefore, it is the most
important task for the theory of culture to know the nature of culture, identify its

laws and mechanisms of specific forms and aspects.
The modern theory of culture comes from a broad understanding of national
culture as an aspect of life in all spheres of the society. It is not only in the spiritual

dimension, but it is found in the material production, social and political activities,
everyday routine. From this perspective culture serves as an instrument of
developing innate powers of a person and, consequently, their practical application
in all spheres. At the same time as a system of material and spiritual values created

by human beings and used in their activity, culture drafts certain rules and
regulations of the behavior and ways of communication between people.

Culture reveals the cultural world of a person, her nature: abilities, needs,
outlook, knowledge, skills, social feelings, national character and so on. Any
person in the course of her life gains the possession of the culture that was created
by her predecessors. However, a human being contributes to the culture of the

society because the results of his work are of cultural significance. One can judge
about the level of culture of a certain era when considering the values created in
this particular epoch.

Culture refers to social and humanitarian sciences. Separate sciences of
culture which investigate different cultural phenomena constitute the basis of
culture. The integrative nature, its life orientation and focuson the human activity

and society as a complex phenomenon are specific features of the culturology.
The object of the culturology is a historical, social experience of people and
usage of such forms of activity that are approved in the systems of cultural values,

norms and patterns of behavior, traditions and provide a collective nature of a
human life. The subject of the culturology is the study of the content, structure,
characteristics of the functioning of the socio-cultural experience and all types and
forms of the goal-oriented practice of a person.

Main tasks of the culturology are the following:
 study of the genesis, operation and development of culture, revealing

the spirit of culture (mentality), and ways of cultural inheritance;
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