Research-oriented and designed for upper-division English majors. Intensive examination of critical approaches, literary theory, or a special topic in literary and cultural studies. Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for offerings well before the beginning of the semester.

The ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union shaped mid-century literary and cinematic culture. Ostensibly a conflict between free-market capitalism and state communism, the Cold War was fought on multiple fronts—proxy wars in the developing world, space exploration, and nuclear arms development. This course will focus on the cultural front—both the West and the Eastern Bloc engaged in a sustained and complex war of ideas in which literature and film were crucial. The course is structured to examine three facets of Cold War culture: Espionage, Paranoia, and Agitprop. In Britain, espionage or spy craft prowess was central to the nation’s postwar identity. We will read classic works of spy fiction from Graham Greene and John Le Carré. On the American front, we will focus on the red scare and paranoia. As a case study, we will look at the experience of the African-American writers, Richard Wright and William Garner Smith, who while exiled in Paris were surveilled by US intelligence. We will also watch cinematic allegories of the Red Scare, such as The Invasion of Snatchers and the Parallax View. Our last module will examine the mid-century controversy surrounding Agitprop, or politically engaged art. 

Book List:

William Gardner Smith The Stone Face
John LeCarré The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
Graham Greene Our Man In Havana
Viet Nguyễn The Sympathizer
Sembene Ousmane The Last of Empire

Requisites

• English 100 is prerequisite to English 190.

Repeat Rules