July 16 Po-Mo art lecture-demo
(Jenny Holzer)
reading: Postmodernism for Beginners
enrichment:
The Roots of Western Culture
Course Outline
HUMA 1750 The Roots of Western Culture explores from several perspectives some of the major themes and issues with which modern thought and literature have been concerned. The course will trace the broad contours of changes in world view over the century and will examine how such issues as gender relations, conceptions of race, technology, psychoanalysis, politics, art and pop culture are affected by these changes in thought. The course will also examine the crisis created in the academy as a consequence of challenging concepts of liberal humanism.
Course Director: Teaching Team: Session: Summer 1998
Time: Tuesday/Thursday 6-10 p.m.
Location: Lecture - Curtis Lecture Hall A (7-9 p.m.)
Professor Gail Vanstone Rm. 231 McLaughlin College
tel: 736-5128 (After July 1 - Rm. 315 Stong College tel: 736-
5132)
Professors Caitlin Fisher, Cinda Gault and Gail Vanstone
Tutorial 1 - S130 Ross (6 p.m.)
Tutorial 2 - S129 Ross (6 p.m.)
Tutorial 3 - S130 Ross (9 p.m.)
Course Texts [available in the York Lanes bookstore]:
. History of Ideas on Women ed. Rosemary Agonito
. A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen
. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs
. Trojan Women, trans. Gwendolyn MacEwen
. The Good Person of Szechwan, Bertolt Brecht
. Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett
. The Book of Eve, Constance Beresford-Howe
. Kiss of the Spider Woman, Manuel Puig
. Jazz, Toni Morrison
. MAUS, Art Spiegelman
. The Passion, Jeannette Winterson
. Postmodernism for Beginners, Richard Appignanesi
May 5 Introduction
May 7 Agonito: Genesis and Paul
lecture notes (coming soon)
enrichment:
May 12 Agonito: Wollstonecraft/Engels
film: Women on the March
May 14 A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen
enrichment:
"Check out a chronology of Ibsen's plays and plays online. Find out where Ibsen is in production or read reviews of past productions. " This site also includes a link to the play.
May 19 Agonito: Schopenhauer and Neitzsche
enrichment:
May 21 film: The Maltese Falcon
enrichment: film noir
May 26 Agonito: Bertrand Russell
film: Artemisia Gentileschi
enrichment:
May 28 Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl - Harriet Jacobs
enrichment:
June 2 Trojan Women - Gwendolyn MacEven
enrichment:
June 4 The Good Person of Szechwan - Bertolt Brecht
The Good Person of Szechwan - In this play, Brecht tells of three gods who have travelled to the earth in search of one truly good human being. If at least one cannot be found, the earth will be destroyed. Weary from their journey, these gods seek shelter in the town of Szechwan, but the selfish, greedy townspeople refuse to take them in. Only Shen Te, a prostitute, is willing to give them shelter for the night. In the morning, the three gods, satisfied that they have found a good human being, reward Shen Te for her generosity by giving her enough money to buy a small tobacco shop. But Shen Te's troubles are just beginning. Soon she is surrounded by an army of parasites who have heard of her good fortune. In order to defend herself, Shen Te takes on the identity of a ruthless male cousin, but her new personality may force the gods to reconsider their decision.
enrichment:
June 9 film: The Decline of the American Empire
June 11 Agonito: Freud/Horney
enrichment:
June 16 Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett
enrichment:
"This lecture hall [webpage]is devoted to all contemplations, musings, and queries concerning Samuel Beckett. We'd love to hear your suggestions regarding the best books, chapters, essays, and criticisms. Post an opinion, a question, a link to your favorite site, or a poem or short story inspired by the masterpieces of Samuel Beckett. We'd also like to invite you to sail on by the Samuel Beckett Live Recitation Chat, and feel free to use the message board below to schedule a live recitation chat. And the brave of heart shall certainly wish to sign their souls aboard The Jolly Roger."
Before we take to sea we walk on land,
Before we create we must understand.
Waiting for Godot
June 18 in-class (writing) test
June 23 Lecture on film as cultural purveyor (no reading)
film: Under the Willow Tree
June 25 The Book of Eve - Constance Beresford-Howe
July 2 film: Kanehsatake: 279 Years of Resistance
enrichment: 'kanehsatake spiritual gathering' posted to native netnews 1991
July 7 Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig
The complex story of a friendship and love that develops between two men sharing a prison cell somewhere in South America. To pass the time, one of the men entertains the other with imaginative, fanciful narratives from old movies.
enrichment:
July 9 film: Kiss of the Spider Woman
July 14 Jazz - Toni Morrison
"I enjoy them their public love. I myself have only known it in secret, shared it in secret and longed . . . longed to show it - to be able to say out loud what they have no need to say at all: That I have loved only you, surrendered my whole self reckless to you and nobody else."
July 16 Po-Mo art lecture-demo
(Jenny Holzer)
reading: Postmodernism for Beginners
enrichment:
July 21 MAUS - Art Spiegelman
"Spiegelman's achievement is, on account of its format, unique and also one of the most approachable, accessible, and immediately moving books on the Holocaust". (Booklist/October 15, 1991)
The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are not human.
--Adolph Hitler
enrichment:
July 23 The Passion - Jeanette Winterson
enrichment:
July 28 review
July 30 final exam