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Course Focus
Over the course of BLS 202, we will examine how a variety of literary texts have confronted some of the most violent events and contexts of the last century. The subtlety and complexity of these treatments will, I hope, not only compel us to face up to the horrors of which our species is capable, but also lead us beyond simplistic demonization of the perpretrators of violence and aggression to a deeper understanding of the implications for specific individuals of egregious acts of violence (and how literature tries to represent them). Students will be expected to negotiate the texts, and the issues they raise, with the diligence, patience, and intellectual sophistication they warrant.
Some of the events we will address include the aftermath of nuclear holocaust (Ishiguro), the Vietnam War (O'Brien), totalitarian violence and torture (Dorfman), and post-apartheid violence in South Africa (Coetzee). In addition, we will also try to look at violence in America, as it has been manifested in perhaps our most pervasive Humanities medium: popular film. We will consider the war movie genre (Full Metal Jacket), the aestheticization of violence in film (Pulp Fiction), and, if time, the violent vigilante hero in American film (Death Wish II).
Writing, Research, and Analytical Skills
Because our focus is not the passive consumption of literature and film but an active, critical response to them, we will address research and writing as they relate to our subject matter. We will be spending time learning how to conduct substantive, effective research in the field, and we will develop the skills needed to produce effective written analyses on topics in the Humanities. In addition, we shall also address the vital issue of web site assessment. Our discussions, assignments, and methods are intended to fulfill the objectives articulated by the university for all 200-level General Education Literature Courses:
- Help students develop an appreciation of the intellectual benefits of reading literature and an interest in reading literary works;
- Help students develop analytical skills through close readings of texts in the humanities;
- Help students develop a respect for the multiplicity of valid responses to texts;
- Help students develop basic research skills;
- Help students develop the abilities necessary to write effective prose.
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