HUM 560Q Humanities Colloquium: Wartime Lit/Music in the 20th Century
In this course we will study select works of literature, music, visual art, and film that are inspired by, are commentaries on, or are in some other way informed by war. This includes not only works that directly take up the subject of war but also works created in the shadow of war that only indirectly imply wartime culture. Among the themes we will discuss are: (1) the relationship between art and propaganda; (2) how the concept of "human nature" changes during and after times of war; (3) how different forms of art give voice to wartime despair using the materials unique to that genre (the use of words in literature, the use of sound in music, the use of images in visual art, etc.); and (4) how wars give rise to new, previously underrepresented perspectives in art and culture. Though this class focuses primarily on the western wars of the twentieth century, students are invited to address other eras or wars in their final projects. This class is particularly recommended for teachers looking to supplement their understanding, and pedagogy, of western history with case studies drawn from various artistic and intellectual trends of the twentieth century. Examples of such trends that we will cover include: experiments in literary style as a context for understanding World War I; developments in music and visual art as a context for understanding totalitarianism; existentialist philosophy as a context for understanding World War II; etc. The course is open to students from all humanities disciplines, and teachers are encouraged to pursue assignments with potential classroom applications in mind
Offered
As Needed