This course investigates a deep philosophical question that is often expressed in literature and film: what is the meaning of the life? This, of course, is something we have all thought about by virtue of being alive, and we all more than likely have a philosophy of life that we live by even if we do not consciously recognize it. But how have authors and filmmakers given expression to these concerns? This is the primary question we will ask throughout the course of the semester in addition, but not limited to, the following: is there an inherent meaning to life or do we simply create meaning in our day to day existence? If there is an inherent meaning to life, in what ways can this be stifling to the creative drive of humanity? Does the lack of meaning open up the possibility for human freedom or foreclose it? What does it mean to be human? How does one create or find meaning in life and their existence in the face of brutal oppression and outright inhumanity? To explore these questions, we will explore a host of literary genres from dramas, novels, short stories, memoirs, and poetry. The class will begin with a familiar text, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where the famous line “To be or not to be, that is the question” is posed. From there we will move to a discussion of what it means to be human by turning to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein before we shift to Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential novel Nausea. From here we will make a genre and thematic change by giving our attention to Primo Levi’s memoir detailing his experience in Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp. We close the semester with August Wilson’s Fences to explore, to put it in the words of the master poet Langston Hughes, “What happens to a dream deferred?”
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Students will produce a significant amount of writing such that the course fulfills the requirements of its mandatory W Focus designation (i.e. 4,000 words).
Students will improve their ability to ask questions of and to read, analyze, and interpret complex literary texts, using relevant literary terminology critically and creatively.
Students will augment their knowledge of how literature is organized by historical periods, genres, cultures, and cultural formations.
Students will improve their ability to express ideas by organizing, developing and supporting a description, analysis, or argument in written formats, within the conventions of academic writing.