ENGL 325H - Technology, Postmodern and Literature

Institution:

Maryville University of Saint Louis

Subject:

English

Description:

Prerequisite: Membership in Bascom Honors Program This course will examine contemporary attitudes towards technology in post-World War II fiction, film, and critical theory, focusing on various visions of a violent past, an imperiled present, and a dystopic near-future. In doing so, we will consider these and other problems: what is postmodernism, and why does every discussion of postmodernism begin by asking what it could possibly mean? How do our novels embody and challenge aspects of postmodernism? And what comes after postmodernism? What do our novels and films say about technology and teleology? About language, readership, and authorship? About the relationship between the human body and the machine? About humanitys interconnected hopes and fears? About the power of science so often juxtaposed against the need for, or absence of, spirituality? Authors will likely include Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., J.G. Ballard, Don DeLillo, Joanna Russ, Kathy Acker, William Gibson, and Chuck Palahniuk; please note that several of our novels contain potentially offensive content. We will also likely use Star Wars and Blade Runner, taken together, as a case study in postmodern, technology-centered film.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.maryville.edu

Phone Number:

(800) 627-9855

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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