- Human Rights, Literature, Theory

Institution:

The Evergreen State College

Subject:

Description:

Faculty: Greg Mullins (comparative literature) Major areas of study include human rights, political theory, literature and film. Class Standing: Juniors or seniors; transfer students welcome. Prerequisites: Two quarters of literary study. Faculty Signature: none required In what ways can the theory and practice of human rights enrich our understanding of literature, and how can literary studies broaden our understanding of human rights We will think about literature as an ethical and political project, and consider what relation, if any, literature has to conventional forms of human rights work. We'll question the emotional impact literature can have on readers, and whether emotions such as empathy have a necessary relation to justice. Finally, we will consider how narrative enables or disables memory, truth telling, and justice in the aftermath of atrocity. Among our selected human rights topics, we will study torture, disappearance, sexual and gender rights, and poverty. Our reading will focus on human rights issues in the United States, with some reading about Sri Lanka, Haiti, Grenada, and possibly South Africa. Among the authors we will probably study are Ondaatje, Danticat, Allison, Brand and Cuadros. Total: 16 credits. Enrollment: 25 Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in literature, human rights, politics, cultural studies, critical theory, law, education and human and social services. A similar program is expected to be offered in 2009-10.

Credits:

16.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.evergreen.edu

Phone Number:

(360) 867-6170

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Quarter

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