Time Schedule:
Nathaniel Greenberg
C LIT 240
Seattle Campus
Comparative approach to literature and a workshop in writing comparative papers in English. Emphasis on cross-cultural comparison of literary works. Readings in English with an option to read selected texts in the original languages Offered: AWSp.
Class description
Literature of the Clash:
Samuel Huntington’s glum assessment of world order in his infamous Clash of Civilizations has not so quietly become the impetus for the most heated political jargon of our time. However, literature has been largely absent from “clash” discussions. The goal of this class is to explore how literature can be an effective medium for thinking and writing critically about the so-called collision between Islam and the West.
We will read several short, but major, Post WWII works by Arab, African and Western authors who have explored the question of the “clash” through fiction, autobiography and poetry. To help students with incorporating non-fictional sources into their reading of literature, the course will include a course packet with short excerpts from cultural and socio-political critics of “the clash,” including Edward Said, Tariq Ramadan, Rashid Khalidi, Yitzhak Laor and Bernard-Henry Lévy. We will also watch Sally Potter’s film Yes (2004).
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
The course will focus on the development of critical reading and writing skills. Students will write four short essays plus four structured paragraphs, participate in class discussion, and write a term paper. Theoretical topics of interest might include: the meaning of exile, orientalism, and alternative modernisms.
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
