Complementary to 21L.001. This course offers a broad survey of foundational literary and philosophical texts that have come to represent the cultural heritage of the modern Western world. The focus will be on examining how works of art have reflected, shaped, and challenged their social and historical contexts. We will consider art’s role in transformative shifts such as the loss of a supernatural perspective on human events and the decentering of “Western Man” as the locus of human possibility. The readings will introduce students to key thinkers including Cervantes, Goethe, Wilde, Woolf, and Fanon. Students will become familiar with various critical perspectives, considering approaches based on class, race, gender and sexuality. The course will also prepare students for undergraduate work in literary and cultural studies with a focus on textual analysis and composition.
