World Literature: Literatures of Globalization (A)

About WLIT 1100 A

How writers imagine themselves and their relationship with others in a globalizing world.

Notes

Open to degree and PACE students.

Section Description

This class fulfills a requirement for the Global Studies major as well as the D2 requirement. In it we will discuss how literature deals with topics related to globalization such as migration, translation, dystopia, extraction, and war by reading works by authors who meditate on them. Along with those topics, the question this course will try to answer is what is the point (if any) of reading in our fast paced, consumer culture shaped by the commodity form. As Imre Szeman has argued, we live in an antimetaphoric age. Similarly, Anna Kornbluh has said we live in a time of "too late capitalism" and its culture of immediacy. As South Korean critic Byung Jul Han has argued, we live in a culture of transparency. All three philosophers argue that we live in a time that requires and even demands, the smooth, increasingly fast, production of experiences because they are easily consumed and disposed of. Literature and the novel in particular do not seem to fit in with the current age. If anything they are against just about anything that our globalized, neoliberal culture demands of us. The novels we read reflect on the reality of globalization while the activity of reading causes us to reflect on our place in it.

Section Expectation

Do the reading, engage actively in class discussions, ask questions that may not have an immediate answer

Evaluation

Midterm, final, reading quizzes (possibly a final project depending on class size) come to class ready to participate actively in discussions of the assignments.

Important Dates

Note: These dates may change before registration begins.

Courses may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Show your interest by enrolling.

Resources

• Parking
• PACE Course Pricing
• Textbooks