Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Interdisciplinary study of literary texts and/or artistic forms across cultures and periods. May be repeated for credit when a different topic is taught. Students with credit for HS 309 or WL 309 under this topic, or HS 303 under the title "Reflection on the Greek Civil War" may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

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This course examines literary works focusing on 20th c. civil wars; it succinctly surveys three case studies (Spain, Greece and former Yugoslavia) by making references to the historical, cultural (e.g. cinema, photography, art) and political background in order to study literary works emerging from different national contexts with a focus on an individual’s reflection on a civil war. It subsequently explores key notions that emerge from this examination, e.g. culture, homeland, belonging, otherness, gender, identity (collective, individual), sameness/difference, memory and history, fact and fiction, different forms of violence and impact on individuals, sense of loss and emergence of new identities, transnational communities. Students are presented with a range of sources which allow them to compare how specific experiences and notions are reflected upon in the cultural production of different geographical regions; the similarities, differences, overlapping themes and legacies – on a local and global level.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Upon completing the course, students should be able to:

• demonstrate familiarity with a range of authors and texts in their cultural and historical contexts;
• understand themes and questions of central important to humanities;
• demonstrate critical, analytical and creative thinking;
• present well-structured arguments in academic writing;
• identify and acknowledge the differing cultural contexts and perspectives of the peoples and texts that they are studying;
• evaluate, contextualize and engage with a range of primary sources and scholarly literature.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: