This course will explore a wide range of horror, gothic, fantasy, and suspense literature by 19th and 20th century British and American authors. Texts will include the novels Frankenstein , Dracula , Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde , and a selection of short fiction by Poe, King, Oates, Jackson, and others. Course requirements will include two exams, a short paper, and an oral presentation. This course, structured around the theological concepts of belief and unbelief, will explore the complex interplay between faith and doubt in literature. These issues, which are increasingly pertinent to the world today, will be pursued by employing literature as a window to the historical, cultural and philosophical aspects of religious faith and doubt.
Religion is a uniquely potent force in shaping the imagination of literary writers.
Where faith once reconciled doubt, many circumstances have posed a seemingly insurmountable challenge to spirituality. English 267 will cover mankind's struggle to believe in God against the forces of Darwinism, war, suffering, injustice, industrialism, and modern technology which tests and alters the questions of faith and doubt over the centuries. Through works of fiction and non-fiction narrative, students explore issues related to criminology such as law versus justice, crime and punishment, criminal and victim psychology, law enforcement and crime detection, and the criminal as hero. By means of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry, the course will study the rift that has developed between the scientific and humanistic communities since the Renaissance. We will rely primarily upon Literature for our examination, but we will also read a healthy dose of articles from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and history to give a more complete view of issues concerning women both in the past and today.