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MALS,
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Wake
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Winston-Salem, NC 27109 |
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Spring 2004 Courses
MLS 705 Myths of Creation
Where did it all come from; when did it all begin? This course explores a variety of ancient and “primitive” mythological texts concerned with the origins of the cosmos, the gods, and humanity. Selections from Hindu, Buddhist, Native American, Babylonian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Persian, and Norse mythology are examined within their respective cultures as well as in comparative context. Attention is given to various anthropological and psychological theories of myth and literary methods of myth analysis. We also explore the creative reinterpretations of the Biblical images of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The course concludes with a consideration of the survival of myth in the postmodern world and the relationship of the mythological imagination to scientific explanations of universal origins.
MLS 706 German Culture Clash: Modernity and Tradition in Conflict, 1890-1940
Early 20th-century Germans struggled to respond to economic, social, political, and cultural upheaval. In the arts, that upheaval generated striking innovations, as Germans contributed significantly to the development of modernism. However, most Germans felt threatened by, and bitterly resisted, modernism—and modernity. To explore this contested terrain, we will focus on art (from Expressionism to New Sobriety to Nazism), film (from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to The Blue Angel), and literature (from Kafka to Rilke to Mann), but we will discuss these works in the historical context of social disruption, shattering defeat, economic gyrations, and political violence which Germans faced. And together we will seek to understand how works which were very much of their time and place can still speak to us 60 to 100 years later.
MLS 707 Women’s Political & Social Activism since 1776
Using an interdisciplinary approach, this course analyzes women’s political and social activism in American history since the eve of independence. Some topics we will examine include activities during wartime (Revolutionary, Civil War, World War I and II, and Vietnam), reform activities, anti-slavery campaigns, the various women’s rights movements and civil rights movements. Not all women fought for the same issues. As such, this course attempts to offer a balanced view of women’s activism. We discuss women who supported slavery, women who opposed suffrage and the equal rights amendment, and women who oppose abortion rights. Readings are a combination of primary sources by activists (Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, the Grimke sisters, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Phyllis Schlafly, among others) and primary source novels written by women about women’s activism. We pay particular attention to the issues of race and class throughout the semester.
MLS 709 Italian Opera
Love! Passion! Revenge! Operas are a compelling fusion of words, music and theater, conveying the most powerful of human emotions on a grand scale. This course will focus on operas in Italian, from its origins in the early 1600’s, through the grand late 19th century masterpieces of Verdi and Puccini. Recordings, videos and live performances will supplement class lectures and discussions. No previous background in Italian or Music is required.
MLS 766 The Life, Teachings, and Method of Gandhi
This seminar explores in detail the life, the teachings and the method of nonviolent coercion (satyagradha) practiced by M.K. Gandhi. The course starts with a detailed exploration of interpretations of Gandhi’s life including Judith Brown’s biography Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope. It also explores Gandhi’s religious thought (esp. Chatterjee); psychological implications of that thought (e.g. Erik Erikson); and focuses on his role as a political activist (Rudolfs; J.M. Brown, etc.) Students will also be assigned some materials from Gandhi’s own voluminous writings found in the Autobiography and Fischer. With this as a background the students will be encouraged to go in one of three directions: towards a more detailed treatment of one of the themes covered above; towards an applied version of Gandhian method as it applies to later proponents of nonviolent coercion (e.g. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X); or towards the development of an original, albeit mock, satyagraha campaign directed at a student-defined local target. The products and findings of the student research would then be shared with the seminar participants.
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