What is freedom?  This course examines how philosophers, social movements, artists and writers from different historical contexts attempt to wrestle with this seemingly self-evident question.  Students will investigate both the contradictions and the possibilities invested in particular ideas about emancipation, revolution, and sovereignty.  Special attention will be placed on understanding how the historical legacies of industrialization, empire, civil rights and gender formations impact discrepant articulations about freedom, as well as on evaluating the role of literary art in modern pol

Adventure – narrative, poetic, dramatic, and filmic – is the guiding thread in this inquisitive journey. Following the monkey king of A Journey to the West to the Beatniks of Kerouac, we will travel through realistic, fantastic, and surreal realms, led by heroes and heroines who are not only human, but also immortal or, at times, half man, half beast; for the wisdom they have to impart and the discoveries they have to offer. The timeless search for meaning engages us with questions which transcend national boundaries such as technology, time and the human condition.

Adventure – narrative, poetic, dramatic, and filmic – is the guiding thread in this inquisitive journey. Following the monkey king of A Journey to the West to the Beatniks of Kerouac, we will travel through realistic, fantastic, and surreal realms, led by heroes and heroines who are not only human, but also immortal or, at times, half man, half beast; for the wisdom they have to impart and the discoveries they have to offer. The timeless search for meaning engages us with questions which transcend national boundaries such as technology, time and the human condition.

In this course we will ask two questions in particular: What is a person?

In this course we will consider the idea and experience of nostalgia as it is manifested in works ranging from ancient epic to modern fiction, drama, and film. Since the term “nostalgia” is derived from the ancient Greek word nostos, meaning “return” or “homecoming,” we will devote the first part of the semester to a study of the most influential story of return ever composed, the Greek epic poem the Odyssey.  From there we will shift our focus to a set of 20th and 21st century works that attempt to rewrite and restage the Odyssey in innovative ways for new audiences.

Anne Rice, Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, A Vampire Huntress Legend and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If there is a genre lead by women writers, it is the vampire genre. Not only do women make up the best selling writers of vampire literature, they also make the best selling heroines of the literature.  Why do the stories appeal to women readers and writers alike, and what is so appealing about the woman vampire hunter?

Horace famously wrote that our stories should aim to instruct and delight. Countless authors have followed his advice, with a variety of interpretations, of course. We will look at a number of texts that offer the reader a particular form of pleasure and delight: literary playfulness. All works of literature consist of language games but some are more self-consciously structured as linguistically playful objects than others.  How do our authors play with language? How do they play with their readers?

Trauma, in its essence, is paradoxical.  On the one hand, it yearns to be inscribed, even broadcast; on the other, it often stubbornly refuses inscription.  This course will examine how literature has grappled with this paradox of trauma.   We will look at a wide array of texts, beginning with texts as old as the Old Testament, in order to consider how the paradoxical nature of trauma has evolved.  What is the history of trauma?  And what makes history so traumatic?  As we trace the development of trauma, we will follow what it teaches us about nation, ethics and identity.

Who are the poor?  In this course, we will examine literary and visual representations of poverty in several cultures and eras.  As we move between poetry, photographs, film and prose, we will examine how authors treat this question and others, such as, What are the roots of poverty?  Are the impoverished agents or victims of their situations?  What moral values does literary or visual art extract from representations of poverty?  How do artistic representations attempt to resolve the problems of poverty?  Our discussions will consider how authors work within or against representational con

The Strunk and White dictum to “omit needless words” will guide our work on writing.  Students interested in crafting streamlined, energetic prose and prepared to rewrite may find this class especially congenial. Along with prose composition, students will also receive instruction and practice in researching topics in the humanities.  Besides assigned essays, requirements of the course include active participation in classroom and online discussion, regular attendance and a group presentation.