Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog 2020-21 
    
Undergraduate Catalog 2020-21 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)

HNRS 3204 - Postmodern Dystopias: Fiction and Film from 1970 to the Present


Although few would question that our contemporary world should be termed “postmodern,” among scholars, there is no consensus on the precise meaning of the term. Two crucial historical events arising from World War II, the birth of computers and the atom bomb, signal a precipitous break from the modern, and have radically transformed all facets of contemporary political, social and personal life. Yet while our global world and engagement has been generally embraced and integrated within our contemporary existence, often celebrating the “singularity” of technology and everyday life in an age of “spiritual machines” when “computers exceed human intelligence” as Ray Kurzweil puts it, a decidedly dystopic imagination dominates the arts of films and literature. This course, through the exploration of fiction from the past half century, aims to explore the meaning, significance and implications of postmodern life and culture. Students will develop a critical awareness of postmodernity through lectures, class discussion, and student presentations on authors such as Jameson, Lyotard, Baudrillard, and others. Students will write short response essays and a creative response, give a presentation, and write a final formal essay. Time permitting, we will explore two films through a postmodern lens. This course satisfies WMU Essential Studies Level 2: Exploration and Discovery – Societies and Cultures Category.

Credits: 3 hours

Restrictions: Restricted to Lee Honors College students only.



Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)