Novels by Hughes, Spark, Carey, Watkins, Knowles, Salinger, and others, as well as readings in social history, literary criticism, and nonfictional accounts. Selected films are also screened and serve as a basis for discussion and writing assignments. Examines the changing understandings of the sea and coastlines in Western cultures. Particular attention is given to the fashioning of the beach as a space of health, leisure, and tourism, as well as the tensions between tourism and other economic activities centered around the sea. Materials examined include paintings, literature, and folklore.
Class includes local on-site visits.
Readings may include Plato, the Bible, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Marx, Mill, and Nietzsche. As the electorate s window on public affairs, the mass media play a very important role in American politics. Since we rarely experience politics directly, the mass media provide us with the bulk of our political information. As a result, many of the characteristics of the contemporary political era are best understood by examining the interplay between the media, the public, and office-holders. Examines the importance of media ownership, the role the media play in opinion formation and elections, and the implications of the media s power.