Undergraduate Seminar (398-0-73)

Topic

War (and) Stories

Instructors

Leila Tayeb

Meeting Info

Northwestern Qatar Room 1-300: Tues, Su 8:30AM - 9:45AM (AST)

Overview of class

How do we tell stories of, in, and about war? This course takes a performance studies approach to war (and) stories in order to explore community and communication in relation to violence and destruction. We will explore themes and topics such as memoir, war in/and antiquity, militarization and militarism, gendered narratives of war, trauma and the ethics of storytelling, war stories in/ as news media, theatre, and film, in words and in images. We consider questions such as, to whom do (war) stories belong? What conventions govern their structure, circulation, and legibility? What are the ethics and politics of telling the war stories of others? Can war even be narrated to begin with? Finally, what are the performative effects of telling war stories? What do war stories do in our world?

Registration Requirements

Prerequisites: None

Open to sophomores and above, MIT majors only

Satisfies Africana Studies and Middle East Studies

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Registration is reserved for COMM Majors who are Sophomores and above.