AMST 43140 - Post 9/11 American Fiction and Culture

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

In speaking of the after-effects of the first World War, the American novelist Henry James said: "The war has used up words; they have weakened, they have deteriorated like motor car tires; they have, like millions of other things, been more overstrained and knocked about and voided of the happy semblance during the last six months than in all the long ages before, and we are now confronted with a depreciation of all our terms, or, otherwise speaking, with a loss of expression through increase of limpness, that may well make us wonder what ghosts will be left to walk." Writers such as Don DeLillo, Cormac McCarthy, and Phillip Roth, the authors of the 9/11 Commission Report, film makers, politicians and intellectuals have all portrayed the post - 9/11 world in language similar to James's post-apocalyptic vision. This course looks at contemporary American culture and society and asks whether or not there is a definable post 9/11 narrative and aesthetic. We will address the ways in which the world has changed since 9/11 and how those changes have impacted daily life, local communities, the national consciousness, and global affairs. Discussion of these changes will be situated in our examination of major, post 9/11 novels, works of art, film and other media, formal governmental publication and policies, and religious writings. This course will have some short writing assignments, class presentation, and a final research paper.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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