College Seminar (101-7-24)
Topic
Monsters
Instructors
Katharine Helen Breen
Meeting Info
University Hall 418: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
The English word monster is derived from Latin words meaning ‘to demonstrate' and ‘to warn.' Seen from this perspective, dragons, witches, vampires, zombies, and werewolves serve as giant warning signs, cautioning against entering spaces that are, nonetheless, persistently alluring. (As you have no doubt noticed, signs such as "No Swimming," "No Ice Skating," "No Loud Music" tend to prohibit activities that many people find enjoyable.) In this course, we will examine different kinds of monsters and the dangers they represent in works of literature, film, and art. How do these monsters threaten, and how do they help to produce, the civilizing categories of self, family, and nation? How do they animate and help to enforce taboos relating to gender, sexuality, race, and religion? While we will read a core group of theoretical texts together, students will also have considerable latitude to research and analyze monsters of their choosing.
Evaluation Method
Papers, presentations, participation.
Class Materials (Required)
The Monster Theory Reader, ed. Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2020), ISBN 978-1-5179-0525-5 (optional).
Texts will be available at: All required texts, images, and videos will be available on Canvas.
Class Attributes
WCAS College Seminar