Course ID: | ENGL 3400. 3 hours. |
Course Title: | Literature and Evolution |
Course Description: | A consideration of literary works that serve as background to,
expressions of, and commentary on the theory of evolution and
its supporting sciences such as molecular genetics. In addition
to Darwin, authors studied may include Mary Shelley, Thomas
Huxley, H. G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, James Watson, Richard
Powers, and Margaret Atwood. |
Oasis Title: | LIT AND EVOLUTION |
Prerequisite: | ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102M or ENGL 1050H or ENGL 1060H |
Semester Course Offered: | Not offered on a regular basis. |
Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
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Course Objectives: | The theory of evolution and its supporting sciences which
include molecular genetics, paleontology, and developmental
biology are fundamental to contemporary understanding of what
it means to be human. Students will learn to understand:
1. the background, arguments, and rhetorical strategies
Darwin's theory as presented in The Origin of Species
2. some preceding conceptions related to evolution as
expressed in selected literary works
3. the impact of Darwin's theory on subsequent literature
4. modifications to Darwin's theory introduced by genetics and
molecular biology as evidenced in contemporary literature
5. the fraught history of eugenics as evident in selected
literary works
In addition, students will develop the abilities:
1. to distinguish between narrative and scientific exposition
2. to write more skillfully through drafting and revision of
required essays
3. to employ and deploy increased, and increasingly
sophisticated, vocabulary |
Topical Outline: | Topical outlines will vary depending upon the instructor, but a
possible reading list might look this:
William Golding, The Inheritors (1955)
Aeschylus (525-456 BCE), Prometheus Bound
Erasmus Darwin, The Temple of Nature, Cantos I & II (1803)
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus (1818)
Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species (1859)
H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) (w./ Kenton, dir.),
Island of Lost Souls (1933)
Simon Mawer, Mendel's Dwarf (1999)
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1932)
Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, Inherit the Wind
(1955/1960)
James Watson, The Double Helix (1968)
Richard Powers, The Gold Bug Variations (1991)
Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake (2003)
writing: 3 essays and a final research paper or project |
Honor Code Reference: | Students in this course are expected to be familiar with and
adhere to the University of Georgia policy on academic honesty--
plagiarism in particular--according to which all violations of
academic honesty will be handled. |