CWL 151 SS - Cross-Cultural Thematics - Apocalypse and Beyond

Campus: Urbana-Champaign

Description:

Explores a combination of western and non-western literature through the focus on a shared theme, exploring differences in treatment both within and among different cultures. Two such thematic focuses are offered in rotation; one on concepts of love and one on ways of writing about death. Both themes introduce students to a wide array of famous texts from different cultures and also offer some varied perspectives for their own inevitable thoughts on these major topics. Course Information: May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary. Students may register in more than one section per term.

Special Instructions:

Apocalypse and Beyond: Religion and Speculative Fiction This course explores how speculative fiction texts use the resources of the Judeo-Christian tradition, especially the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, to think about catastrophe, the limits/possibilities of the present world, and the human condition of mortality. We will examine issues such as disease, climate change, war, racial tensions and social change, as well as religion-s role in grappling with these issues, through the lens of sci-fi and dystopian novels, short stories and films from a variety of cultural perspectives. Includes the possibility for a creative writing component.

Option 1

Course Level: Undergraduate

Credit: 3

Term(s): Spring