Writing 149 - Destination Eastern Europe

Institution:

Haverford College

Subject:

Description:

HU J.Benatov Over the past decade or so, Prague and Budapest have rapidly become two of the most appealing travel destinations in Europe. Until not too long ago, however, they were still part of socialist Eastern Europe. Situated for almost half a century behind an ideological Iron Curtain, this region remained America's political enemy during the long decades of the Cold War. In this course, we will explore a variety of cultural representations of this most enigmatic, secluded, and 'un-Western' part of Europe. How do ideas, images, and stereotypes of people and places change after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 More importantly, how is our understanding of American culture and identity enriched by analyzing U.S. fiction, films, and journalism engaged with Eastern Europe Fiction: John Updike, "Rich in Russia," "Bech in Rumania," "The Bulgarian Poetess," "Bech in Czech," 1970; Philip Roth, "The Prague Orgy," 1985; Saul Bellow, "The Dean's December", 1981; Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections, 2000; Annie Ward, "The Making of June", 2002 Non-fiction: Robert Kaplan, Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History ( excerpts).

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

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Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.haverford.edu

Phone Number:

(610) 896-1000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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