Investigation of major topics, genres, and authors in Italian literature and culture of the 20th century.

Immunity has perhaps never before preoccupied all corners of the world, all at once, as it does today. This seminar begins with a focused introduction to some foundational texts of biopolitical thought, and then turns to a series of questions about aesthetics and representation in times of crisis. We will explore intersections between the following areas of inquiry: biopolitical theory; visual media and literature; and crisis rhetoric. A few of the questions we will consider: to what extent does biopolitics rely upon both ‘objective’ and figurative regimes? Where are the boundaries between literal and metaphorical immunity? How are visual and literary texts ensnared in biopolitical logics of capture, and to what extent can they engender alternative modes of comprehension? How does immunitary crisis both produce and foreclose certain temporalities and/or forms of life?

Prerequisite: graduate standing

Credit Restrictions

Students taking this course for 2 units do not write a final paper and may enroll in the course on a <satisfactory/unsatisfactory> basis.

Repeat Rules