IN 126 - First Year Seminar: Extreme Situations

Credits: 4
How are human identities shaped, transformed, distorted, and annihilated, or transformed by extreme personal and social experiences? How and why do people make meaning of such experiences through the creation of art, film, and literature? Reading/viewings include tales of obsession, addiction, and adventure, as told through memoir, fiction, ethnographic narratives, and non-fiction creative works. Stories of genocide, natural disasters, cults, along with ever-present calamities, such as poverty, racism, sexism, totalitarianism, and other mass experiences are also explored. Primary thematic emphasis is on the integrity of the individual and the continuity of the community. Perspectives from the disciplines of psychology, sociology, philosophy, and creative writing provide the conceptual framework for discussion.

Liberal Arts Perspective(s): Interdisciplinary
Foundations Requirement(s):