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Literature and Human Rights (Honors)


Course Description

Introduces students to a wide range of texts by writers who have responded to human rights violations around the globe: what responsibilities do these authors have towards their subject- matter/audience as they tell their stories? How do these stories relate to cultural and aesthetic forms? In what way do they resolve the tension between cultural and universal forms and ethics?


Athena Title

Lit and Human Rights Honors


Equivalent Courses

Not open to students with credit in ENGL 3330


Prerequisite

(ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1050H or ENGL 1060H) and permission of Honors


Semester Course Offered

Offered spring


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Course Objectives

At the end of the course, students, having read a substantial body of literature, will be able to discuss the assigned works (orally and in writing) with a considerable degree of critical sophistication to evaluate how authors use the power of narrative to communicate and condemn injustices. More specifically, the objectives will include the following: • To learn about the first and second generation of human rights • To develop a vocabulary of key concepts in literary studies • To learn about the history of human rights and the forces that shape international standards • To consider the ways in which cultural backgrounds alter the understanding of human rights • To analyze the role of cultural forms in discussions of social justice • To acquire intercultural and international context by making connections between literary works • To evaluate the role of transnational institutions such as the United Nations and the Human Rights Watch • To read critically and write analytically


Topical Outline

The choice and sequence of topics will vary from instructor to instructor and semester to semester. The literature will be read outside of class and discussed in class, examined individually and comparatively in the context of the times and the circumstances of their composition. Periodically during the semester, students will perform a number of graded tasks, including some combination of tests and out-of-class papers. Works to be studied may include the following: • Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe • Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart • Art Spiegelman, The Complete Maus • Ahmadou Kourouma, Allah is not Obliged • Nadine Gordimer, My Son's Story • Mohammed Hanif, A Case of Exploding Mangoes • Subhash Vyam, Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability • Mohsin Hamid, Exit West • Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis • Edwidge Danticat, Farming of Bones


Syllabus