College Seminar (101-7-23)

Topic

Welcome to Chicago: Words, Food, Film, and Nightha

Instructors

Bill Savage
847/491-8916
1922 Sheridan Road, OUSA
Office Hours: By appointment

Meeting Info

University Hall 112: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

This College Seminar will introduce you to key Chicago texts and important aspects of life at Northwestern. We will discuss poetry, fiction, and film about the city, and we will also explore the authenticity politics of Chicago-style hot dogs (no ketchup?) and pizza (deep dish v. tavern-cut?) at local Evanston eateries. The course will be structured around a multi-layered and building analysis of Edward Hopper's iconic 1942 painting Nighthawks (set in New York, but part of the Art Institute of Chicago's permanent collection, so an honorary Chicago text). Our discussions about literary and cinematic representations of Chicago (realistic and mythic) will be interwoven with thoughtful advising conversations about the challenges and opportunities you will encounter as you join the Northwestern community.

Teaching Method

Discussion-based seminar, with framing lectures.

Evaluation Method

Active participation in discussion; weekly one-page response papers; an in-class presentation; a critical essay; and a personal essay/field report.

Class Materials (Required)

Several short stories and poems to be supplied in PDF form by instruction.
Nelson Algren's Chicago: City on the Make (978-0-226-01386-2)
The Untouchables (De Palma, 1987)
The Blues Brothers (Landis, 1980)

Class Attributes

WCAS College Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: REASON: Pre-registration is not allowed for this class. Please try again during regular registration. Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required