Literary and Cultural Studies (LCST)
LCST 150. Amazons, Valkyries, Naiads, and Dykes Cross-listed with WGST 150. Is there such a thing as "queer art"? Can "queer art," as an alternative form of expression, have a "canon?" Does sexual identity make any difference to aesthetics? If so, whose sexuality? And whose aesthetics? These are some of the questions we ask in this introduction to gender and art by way of some fascinating (if little known) "women-identified" texts, from Sappho to Aphra Behn, Gertrude Stein, Ulrike Ottinger, Audre Lord, Carmelita Tropicana, and others. Format: Lecture and discussion. No prerequisites. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Spring—D. Nemec Ignashev
LCST 231. Damsels, Dwarfs, and Dragons: Medieval German Literature Cross-listed with GERM 231. Around the year 1200 German poets wrote some of the most lasting works in the Western literary tradition. It was a time of courtly love and Arthurian romances, and themes vary widely from love and honor to revenge and murder. In this course attention will be focused on the poetry of Walther von der Vogelweide and on two major epics: The Nibelungenlied and Gottfried von Strassburg's Tristan and Isolde. In translation. 3 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
LCST 233. Cultures in Conflict: The Reception of Shakespeare in Germany Cross-listed with GERM 233. Shakespeare was rediscovered in the eighteenth century and rapidly became an icon in the struggle between conflicting social and literary tastes. Although this cultural battle was fought primarily between the French and the English, German writers such as Goethe, Herder, and Lessing were also key participants. This course will focus on the German contribution to Shakespeare reception and will place it within the broader context of the cultural debate in eighteenth century Europe. In translation. 3 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
LCST 240. Flight of the Firebird: Peoples, Languages and Legends of Eurasia Cross-listed with RUSS 240. This course surveys the diversity of nations—large and small—inhabiting Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Western Siberia. Topics will include geography, historical linguistics, religion, and folklore. Readings from primary and secondary sources will be combined with film, music, and electronic resources. Analytical techniques will range from the encyclopedic catalogues and grammars of eighteenth-century neo-classicism to post-colonialist discourse analysis. Taught in English, foreign language is not prerequisite, but encouraged 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
LCST 245. Introduction to Critical Methods: Structure, Gender, Culture Cross-listed with FRST 254. What does it mean to theorize the way we read? For one thing, it means to reflect on the assumptions already implicit in our reading habits; for another, it invites us to challenge those assumptions to see what might be gained. Changes of perspective can have significant impact, for the set of questions we bring to our reading largely determines the answers we come away with. In this course we will study a range of critical issues and movements, and we will examine how they can influence our reading of texts (prose, poetry, film) drawn from a variety of national traditions. Open only to declared majors of literature or language programs or permission of instructor. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—S. Carpenter
LCST 250. Bad Girls/Good Art: Gender and Culture in a Postmodern World Cross-listed with WGST 250. This course presents an overview of self-proclaimed or otherwise claimed "lesbian" texts and contexts since World War II, drawn from diverse communities (in and outside the US), and discussed in light of post-modernist and (post)-feminist theories of the construction of gender and of culture. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
LCST 270. Degeneration and the Fin de Siècle In Europe at the end of the nineteenth century, the prevailing faith in forward progress was counterbalanced by the notion that Western civilization might actually be in decline—a decline characterized by neurosis, criminality and social decay. This course will examine biological, anthropological and philosophical theories of degeneration and their impact on the intellectual history, popular culture and belles lettres of the time. After studying theoretical treatises by Morel, Lombroso and Nordau, we will discuss the works of so-called "degenerate" artists such as Zola, Ibsen, Wagner and Nietzsche. No prerequisite, but opportunities for using knowledge of French, German, Russian or Italian. 6 credits cr., AL, Fall—L. Goering