Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2020 - HUM 309 D200

Literatures and the Arts Across Cultures (4)

Class Number: 8382

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2020: Mon, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An interdisciplinary study of literary texts in translation and/or art forms across cultures and periods. Students with credit for HUM 381 or 382 under this topic may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Narrating Trauma: Civil War Literature in the Balkans and the Mediterranean

This course examines Greek civil war literature, and compares it to literary works based on 20th c. European civil wars. It succinctly surveys the Spanish, Greek and Yugoslav civil wars by initially making references to the historical background in order to study literary works emerging from different national contexts with a focus on an individual’s reflections on the conflicts and their impact. It subsequently addresses themes that emerge from this examination, e.g. gender, identity, culture, nation, sameness/difference, memory, fact and fiction. In the process, references and comparisons are made to artistic and filmic representations of civil war in the given cultural contexts.

Grading

  • Participation 10%
  • Presentation 15%
  • Quiz 25%
  • In-class essay 20%
  • Term Paper 30%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Hemingway, E. 1995. For Whom the Bell Tolls. New York: Scribner.
ISBN: 9780684803357

Orwell, G. 2000. Homage to Catalonia. New York: Penguin Books.
ISBN: 9781604443493

Kazantzakis, N. 1985. The Fratricides. New York: Simon & Schuster. (purchase online)
ISBN: 9780571105069

Valtinos, T. 1973. The Descent of the Nine. (available online/ JSTOR)

Sacco, J. 2000. Safe area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995. Fantagraphics Books.
ISBN: 9781560974703

Todorovic, D. 2006. The Book of Revenge: A Blues for Yugoslavia. Random House.
ISBN: 9780679313977

RECOMMENDED READING:

Glenny M. 1996. The fall of Yugoslavia: The Third Balkan War (3rd ed., revised). London: Penguin Books.

Preston, P. 2009. We saw Spain die: foreign correspondents in the Spanish Civil War (revised and expanded edition). London: Constable and Robinson.

Benson, F. R. 1967. Writers in Arms: The Literary Impact of the Spanish Civil War. New York, NY: New York University Press.

Close, D. H. (ed.). 1993. The Greek Civil War, 1943–1950: Studies of Polarisation. New York: Routledge.

Gareth, T. 1990. The Novel of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1975). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Halpern, J. M. and Kideckel, D. A. (eds). 2000. Neighbors at War: Anthropological Perspectives on Yugoslav Ethnicity, Culture and History. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press.

McDonald, S., Holden, P., and Ardener, S. (eds.). 1987. Images of Women in Peace and War. Oxford: Macmillan.

Woodhouse, C. M. 1985. Apple of Discord: a Survey of recent Greek Politics in their International Setting. Reston, Va.: W. B. O'Neill.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS