AHSEM-UA 171 - Commitment and Escape

Institution:

New York University

Subject:

Description:

The seventy-or-so years this seminar examines were among the most turbulent in the history of the world. They start with the butchery of World War II, the Shoah, and atomic devastation, and end with the often violent birth of new nations through the decolonization of African and Asian lands. But they were also years of reconstruction and modernization, leading to booming economies and social improvement. The rise of Arab nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism and the emergence of China as the colossus of the 21st century were among the signposts of a changing world in which peoples demanded-and won-their freedom. Perhaps most revolutionary, women at last attained freedom and equality in many parts of the globe. Many writers and thinkers felt such concern for the world around them that they were inevitably drawn to dealing with contemporary issues. Others focused on broader, more philosophic approaches to the existential problems of man in this world; others still sought escape from commitment in artistic paths, removed from social and political considerations. By working with texts-novels, essays, short stories, plays, and films-that reflect artists' and intellectuals' reactions to their times, we will explore and analyze many of the leading creative voices of these turbulent years, including, but not limited to: Arthur Miller, Albert Camus, Assia Djebar, Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Betty Friedan, and James Baldwin. The keynote to the seminar will come from Jean-Paul Sartre's What Is Literature?

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nyu.edu

Phone Number:

(212) 998-1212

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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