USSY 285R - Crime and Punishment in German Literature

Institution:

Case Western Reserve University

Subject:

Description:

How societies define and punish crime is related to a web of interconnected considerations including the form of government, the legal code, social mores, evolving conceptions of justice, the purpose of punishment, and attitudes toward individual criminals and criminality in general. These social, historical, and ethical norms give rise to questions such as: What constitutes a crime? How is the violation of the law different from or similar to transgressions of morality or ethical norms? What is the purpose of punishment and why is this important? To what extent are we interested in the circumstances that lead to crime? In what ways is punishment an insufficient answer to crime? This course will explore the social and historical questions raised by the perpetrators and victims of crime as well as attending punishment in the literary works of Friedrich Schiller, Heinrich von Kleist, Annette von Droste-Hulshoff, Franz Kafka, Bertroit Brecht, Primo Levi, Hannah Arendt, and Bernhard Schlink. Focusing on short stories, detective fiction, novels, drama, and personal essay, we will pay particular attention to the way that criminal transgression is defined, the role of society and history in producing criminals, when and why punishment is justified or necessary, and the degree to which these resolutions are "just." Prereq: Passing letter grade in a 100 level first year seminar in USFS, FSSY, FSCC, FSNA, FSSO or FSCS. Prereq or Coreq: FSTS 100

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.case.edu

Phone Number:

(216) 368-2000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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