Topics in Literature and Culture (285-0-20)

Topic

Healing, Soothing, Relaxing: Contemporary Therapeu

Instructors

Yasmin Yoon

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L05: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

From ASMR to the fidget spinner, how has therapy expanded beyond interactions between "therapist" and "client"? And how do the changing notions of "cure" and "care" intersect with questions of race, gender, and class? In this course, we will explore communication technologies (crisis hotlines, social media, podcasts) and consumer goods (portable audio systems, plush dolls) that promise alternative access to mental healthcare, as well as how these developments in therapeutic form have impacted art and literature. How does Tan Lin's "vibe-y" poetry mimic our shortened attention spans, probing the racial valences of what we find "comforting" and "calming"? And how does Ed Park's novel poke fun at the office space, where boredom and anxiety are revealed to compatible feelings? We will work together to understand the minor feelings their works both cite and elicit—healing, relaxing, soothing—and how therapeutic cultures help us understand politics more broadly today.

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
SoC Humanities and Fine Arts Distro