Topics in Literature: American Culture after WWII
Rafael Perez-Torres profile
TR 10:30-12
This course will survey some of the works that speak about America after the
war. This is a time characterized by the "Cold War" which serves to help the
U.S. develop as an economic world power through the institutionalization of
the industrial-military complex. At the same time, "America" undergoes a
great deal of conflicts on the world scene (the Cuban Missle Crisis, Vietnam)
as well as on the national scene (the Civil Rights, the Anti-War, the Women's
Movement). We will look at a forty-year span, trying to trace the
developments and discontinuities of an "American" identity. In addition
to the texts listed, which represent a list from which the course material
will be drawn, we'll look at film (from It Came From Outer Space to
Easy Rider), music (Bob Dylan - Public Enemy), and the visual arts
(from Jackson Pollack - Jean-Michel Basquiat) as texts for analysis. We will seek to
understand how all these texts reveal and/or critique the problematic
condition of "America" in crisis. All the works we study in some way respond
to the historical changes occurring around them. They help form a picture
that forms a critical dialogue with the economic, cultural, social,
historical configuration "America." Most importantly, the course will focus on
your writing as a critical tool. Writing will be seen as a process which
helps us sort our thoughts in exploring difficult issues and articulating
specific and focused arguments about those issues. We will focus on
developing your writing and analytical skills as an integral part of how the
class progresses. Requirements: to read all the assigned texts and attend
class regularly; to participate in class discussion; to complete all written
assignments including a regular reading journal, at least 5 completed essays,
revisions and drafts working toward the completed essays, in-class
presentation on a researched topic. Possible Texts: John Okada, No-No Boy;
James Baldwin, Just Above My Head; Luis Valdez, Zoot Suit and Other Plays;
Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony; Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye; Jimmy Santiago,
Baca Martin & Meditations on the South Valley; Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine;
Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49; Bernard Malamud, The Natural; Joan
Didion, Play It As It Lays; Bret Easton Ellis, Less Than Zero. (Please note:
This course is a freshman seminar; a few sophomores may enroll by persmission
of Prof. Perez-Torres.)
updated 2006-02-19
