Summer 2008 Undergraduate Course Descriptions |
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EAST ASIAN LITERATURE 120A CHINESE FILMS: HONG KONG FILMS: TIME, SPACE, AND IDENTITY SUMMER SESSION II Instructor: Yingjin Zhang This course approaches the questions of space, time, and identity in Hong Kong cinema and offers a historical survey of this exhilarating transregional-transnational film industry and film culture in a century. Lecture topics include Hong Kong-Shanghai connections (1910s-1920s), rise of Cantonese cinema (1930s), postwar political divergence (1940s-1950s), urban modernity and youth culture (1960s), martial arts legends (1970s), the new wave cinema (early 1980s), the second wave and identity crisis (late 1980s), culture of disappearance (1990s), and new localism (2000s). No knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin) or Cantonese is required, but upper-division standing is recommended. All films carry English subtitles, and all reading and writing is done in English. |
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ENGLISH 114 SHAKESPEARE III: STAGE, FILM AND TELEVISION (a) SUMMER SESSION I Proposed Instructor: Michael Grattan In addition to reading one play a week, this course will examine Shakespeare's work visually as it was intended to be experienced. As we will discover, the matter of producing a play from a textual source leaves vast room for interpretation, and the primary focus of the course will be to critically evaluate the diverse presentations of plays. In addition to watching videos, we will be seeing at least two plays live. There will be weekly short critiques of presentations as well as a larger final project due the last day of class. |
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LITERATURES IN ENGLISH
120A DISCOURSES OF SLAVERY AND ABOLITION IN 18TH CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE SUMMER SESSION I Proposed Instructor: Jamie Rosenthal This course offers an introduction to British colonization, transatlantic slavery, and abolitionism during “the long eighteenth century” (1660-1832). We will read texts from a variety of genres, including novels, poems, slave narratives, letters, and journals, that represent colonization and slavery within Britain’s North American and Caribbean colonies. While some of these texts are clearly invested in the project of empire-building and the institution of slavery, others critique the racial and colonial politics that framed transatlantic encounters between the British Isles, Africa, and the Americas. We will also read historical and theoretical texts related to the topics of race, gender, colonialism, and transatlantic slavery. Through course readings, we will investigate the political, social, and cultural conditions and consequences of British exploration, colonization, slavery, and abolition. For instance, what role did representations of racial ‘otherness’ play in the construction of British identity? How did European discourses of racial difference serve to justify the exploitation of non-Europeans? What were some of the strategies of resistance employed by colonized and enslaved peoples? How were the experiences of both European colonizers and slaves determined and influenced by gender and sexuality? Primary texts will include works by Aphra Behn, Daniel Defoe, James Grainger, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Ann Yearsley, Olaudah Equiano, Mary Prince, John Gabriel Stedman, Janet Schaw, and Maria Nugent. |
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LITERATURES IN ENGLISH
158 MODERN AMERICAN LITERATURE: AMERICAN LIFE FROM 1880- 1925 A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH SUMMER SESSION II Instructor: Steven Cassedy In this course we will study the enormous transformation that American life underwent at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. The transformation affected all levels of life: the purely physical (mortality and life expectancy), the social (the waning of individualism and the rise of community as a basic social principle), the political (the great Era of Reform), the religious (the rise of social consciousness in American Protestantism and Judaism), the scientific (the dominance of evolutionary theory and modern psychology), and the cultural (the rise of convention-defying practices in literature, visual arts, and music). We will study all these dimensions of life at the turn of the century and finish with a brief treatment of the African American cultural flowering known as the Harlem Renaissance. The course will include musical presentations, with piano performance and CDs. Prerequisite: upper division standing. |
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LITERATURES IN ENGLISH
159 CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN LITERATURE: THE BEATS, BEBOP & THE BURBS SUMMER SESSION I Instructor: Don E. Wayne A study of U.S. literature and culture in the period after World War II. The course will focus on the urban centers of New York and Los Angeles, but will also concern the beginnings of demographic mobility between the two coastal cultures. We will read examples of social commentary written in the 1950s, as well as fiction and poetry by a variety of authors including Kerouac, Ginsberg, Baldwin, Ellison, Plath, Salinger, O’Hara, Baraka and others; we will study examples of avant garde music (especially jazz) and art (especially abstract expressionism) in the period; and we will look at a variety of forms of popular culture (including movies, TV, rock and roll, magazines, advertising). Texts and media culture will be examined in relation to the historical context with topics including: the Cold War and the threat of nuclear destruction; post-war U.S. Policy with regard to Europe and Asia; the McCarthy hearings; the cult of domesticity and the redomestication of women after the war years; labor unions and the changing structure of U.S. industry; the early stages of the civil rights movement; postwar patterns of immigration; the growth of the suburbs; the emergence of teen culture and the figure of the juvenile delinquent; the rise of consumerism; middle-class conformity and the roots of the 1960s counterculture. The course will combine lecture and discussion; two papers will be required. |
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ENGLISH 177 CALIFORNIA LITERATURE: EXPLORING LITERARY CALIFORNIA AS CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY (d) SUMMER SESSION I Proposed Instructor: Linda Torres This course examines the role of California literature in the shaping of contemporary California culture. We will read texts that are representative of the foundational multi-cultural, multi-ethnic literature of the state, and explore how the issues therein continue to affect social/political discourse as well as the popular culture. |
| LITERATURES IN ENGLISH 178
COMPARATIVE ETHNIC LITERATURES: CHICANO AND AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCES IN VIETNAM AND IRAQ (d) SUMMER SESSION II Instructor: Jorge Mariscal A comparative study of history, literature, and film seeking to represent the American wars in Southeast Asia and Iraq. Special attention to African American and Chicano/Latino experiences of those wars and the impact on communities at home. Historical context will be emphasized; students will analyze cultural representations and the meaning of each war for their generation. Midterm and final exam with emphasis on in-class participation |
| LITERATURES IN ENGLISH 180 CHICANO LITERATURE IN ENGLISH: MIGRATION NARRATIVES IN CONTEMPORARY CHICANA/O CULTURAL PRODUCTION SUMMER SESSION II Proposed Instructor: Marla Fuentes This course offers an introduction to migration narratives written by late twentieth-century Chicana/o writers and playwrights. We will consider select novels, autobiographical narratives, and theatrical works in order to think about how these texts represent public and private memories, political realities, historical contexts, labor spaces, and forms of resistance. The course concerns 1) how immigrants and migrants of Mexican descent contribute to the construction of rural and urban social spaces and how these spaces contribute to the construction of social and cultural identities and 2) how farm workers and other types of workers participate in circuits of labor. We will examine the intersections of class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, citizenship, nation, and generation as explored by a diverse group of Chicana/o writers and playwrights. Possible texts include novels by Reyna Grande and Helena María Viramontes; excerpt from novels by Sandra Cisneros, Demetria Martínez, John Rechy, and Tomás Rivera; excerpts from autobiographical narratives by Gloria Anzaldúa, Ramon “Tianguis” Pérez, and Elva Treviño Hart; plays by Josefina López, Cherríe Moraga, Guillermo Reyes, and Milcha Sánchez-Scott; and actos by El Teatro Campesino and Luis Valdez. Students will be evaluated based on attendance, class participation (which may include a few informal writing assignments), quizzes, one in-class presentation, two short papers, and one long paper |
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| LITERATURES IN FRENCH 142 LITERARY GENRES: LE ROMAN A SCANDALE SUMMER SESSION II Instructor: Catherine Ploye We will examine several 20th century novels that became instant literary sensations and sparked major controversies immediately after they were published. We will also view movies that enhance our understanding of the social and cultural context of the day. The course will be conducted entirely in French. Prerequisite: LTFR 115 or 116 and upper division standing or consent of instructor. |
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LATIN LITERATURE 4 INTENSIVE ELEMENTARY LATIN SPECIAL SUMMER SESSION Instructor: Eliot Wirshbo This course involves, first, the relentless study of forms and, ultimately, employment of the knowledge of those forms in deciphering meaning from passages of some extent. The ultimate goal is an inceptive ability to read Latin. Students who contemplate taking Summer Latin must be aware of the commitment they are in for: a minimum of six hours of homework is required each day, since this course, in six weeks, covers every page normally assigned during three quarters of the academic school year. The reward for this investment is substantial, however: the beginning of an appreciation of what the ancient authors actually wrote. It is highly advisable that students buy the text before the first class and familiarize themselves with pronunciation. Enrollment is limited. |
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LATIN LITERATURE 100 INTRODUCTION TO LATIN LITERATURE SUMMER SESSION I Instructor: Charles Chamberlain We will be reading selections from actual Roman authors -- Phaedrus, Seneca, Petronius, Pliny, and the scandalous Martial -- which I will be distributing throughout the quarter. These texts will be accompanied by full vocabulary and some necessary notes. We will translate these readings carefully, with a wealth of grammatical questions. I will structure all quizzes and tests so that about one-third of the points will concern grammar as opposed to mere translation. I am asking you to read not widely but deeply. There will be weekly quizzes (25 %), a midterm (25%), a final (30%), and a paper (20%). Prerequisite: LTLA 3 or equivalent |
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LITERATURES IN SPANISH 50A READINGS IN PENINSULAR LITERATURE SUMMER SESSION I Proposed Instructor: Gabriela McEvoy This course is an introduction to Peninsular Literature. It covers a wide range of genres, periods, authors, and literary movements. We will begin reading texts from the Medieval period. However, special attention will be given to the 19th and 20th Century. The literary works will be analyzed in the socio-economical, cultural, and historical contexts. Concepts of national identity, cultural values, and gender will be part of our discussions. Some of the reading selections include the texts of the following authors: Jorge Manrique, Miguel de Cervantes, Benito Perez Galdos, Emilia Pardo Bazan, Antonio Machado, and Miguel de Unamuno. Two films related to the Spanish Civil War will also be part of the course material. The class is taught entirely in Spanish, and the grade for the course is based on participation in class discussions, Mid-Term and Final Exams. Two short essays are assigned on a topic related to the readings. |
| LITERATURES IN SPANISH 50B READINGS IN LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE SUMMER SESSION II Proposed Instructor: Morelia Portillo-Rivas This course will introduce students to Latin American literature through reading, discussing, and analyzing texts from a variety of literary genres. We will begin the course with texts written at the time of the Spanish conquest in the Americas and work our way to 20th century texts. The course will focus on an analysis of the construction of dominant and resistant discourses/narratives (and their textual representations) vis-à-vis key moments in Latin American history-- conquest, colonialism, independence, etc. This course will be conducted entirely in Spanish, and all work will be done in Spanish. Course requirements include two short papers, a midterm, and a final. LTSP 50B prepares Literature majors and minors for upper-division work. LTSP 50A and either 50B or 50C are required for Spanish Literature majors. May be applied towards a minor in Spanish Literature or towards fulfilling the second literature requirement for Literature majors. Prerequisites: Completion of LTSp 2C, 2D, 2E or 2 years of college level Spanish. |
| LITERATURES IN SPANISH 135B
MODERN MEXICAN LITERATURE SUMMER SESSION II Instructor: Max Parra This course is a survey of Mexican literature from the early 20th Century to the present. We will read canonical works -novels, short stories, and essays- from the standpoint of the role of literature in nation-building (creating a national identity) and post nation-building (the emergence of transnational identities). Class meetings will include time to explore and discuss ideas about class and gender relations as well as the question of race in the cultural imagining of Mexico. Readings include works by Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, and Rosario Castellanos. Two feature films will also be part of the course content. One short paper, two or three exams. Prerequisites: Upper division standing or consent of instructor. |
| LITERATURES IN SPANISH 175 GENDER, SEXUALITY AND CULTURE IN CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICAN FICTION AND FILM SUMMER SESSION I Instructor: Beatrice Pita Gender/Sexuality/Culture in Contemporary Latin American Fiction & Film. This course will look at a number of Latin American texts to examine the intersections of gender, sexuality and culture. The writings—principally short fiction written by contemporary male and female writers—will be discussed in tandem with related videos and films. Requirements for the course include two short papers, a midterm and a final exam. Works to be studied include those written by Laurini, Vallejo, Poniatowska, Benedetti, Kozameh, garcia Marquez, Vega, santos Febres, Cortazar, et al. Films to be discussed in connection to the texts are to be viewed outside of class. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisites: LTSP 50A, 50B, or 50C |
| LITERATURES OF THE WORLD 165
LITERATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT SUMMER SESSION I Proposed Instructor: Michelle Ann Stuckey In 1869, the transcontinental railroad united the country; in 1890, the U.S. Census indicated all census tracts in the U.S. contained settlements; Fredrick Jackson Turner declared the frontier closed in 1893. Frontier expansion, and in particular wilderness and nature in the Western territories, were important to the construction of American national and political identity in the nineteenth century. The “closing” of the frontier prompted questions about how the Western “garden” should be developed and managed. This course will begin by examining literary, historical, and popular texts of Progressive Era environmentalism. Key issues include debates over conservation (“scientific management” and economic use of natural resources) vs. preservation (saving land and resources from development); displacement of Native Americans and the creation of National Parks; struggles between urban developers and rural farmers over water; conflicts between social workers and women's organizations advocating public health and common welfare fostered by clean environment (early environmental justice), vs. city governments and urban planners interested in technology, expertise, and economics. We will also examine the way health issues from the environmental effects of industrialization were racialized within the context of eugenics. The second part of the course will then consider how many of these early debates have influenced more recent environmental issues, including Native American land rights struggles, NIMBY-ism versus the environmental justice movement, global warming, and food politics. We will focus primarily on the environmental justice movement, which brings together issues of globalization, race, gender, and class, to consider the following issues: the dumping of nuclear waste and other toxic garbage on indigenous lands and in poor neighborhoods, the environmental and human health impacts of industrialized food production, and labor and industrial pollution on the margins. *This course will also count as a LTEN course. |
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| DEPARTMENT APPROVAL FOR UPPER-DIVISION WRITING COURSES IS AVAILABLE IN THE LITERATURE UNDERGRADUATE OFFICE FROM 9:00-3:30, MONDAY-FRIDAY. PRIORITY ENROLLMENT BEGINS 4/16 FOR ALL STUDENTS |
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LITERATURE 102 POETRY SUMMER SESSION II Proposed Instructor: Sawako Nakayasu This course will investigate language through the multiple entries and exits and transit routes made possible by engaging with poetry. Louis Zukofsky said that poetry is “Upper limit music, lower limit speech” – we will also explore poetry as Marianne Moore’s “imaginary gardens with real toads in them,” and W.H. Auden’s “verbal artifact which must be as skillfully and solidly constructed as a table or a motorcycle.” The focus is on writing poetry. As such, examples and springboards will come from mostly contemporary poets, including Lorine Niedecker, William Carlos Williams, Charles Bernstein, Ron Padgett, Lee Ann Brown, Rosmarie Waldrop, Alice Notley, Barbara Guest, Carla Harryman, Hannah Weiner, Dodie Bellamy, Pierre Joris, Andre Breton, and Frank O’Hara. Prerequisite: LTWR 8B |
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LTWR 120 PERSONAL NARRATIVE SUMMER SESSION I Instructor: Anna Joy Springer Every picture frames and stages a story, and all writing is both visual mark and cognitive prompt. What kinds of truth can we conjure when we combine illustrations with writing and when we blur distinctions? In this class we will study various kinds of graphic texts, or texts in which visual design and illustration do as much work to perform the narrative as words do. Prerequisite: LTWR 8C |
= SS I (6/30/08-8/2/08)
= SS
II (8/4/08-9/6/08) 
= Special Summer Session (6/30/08-8/9/08)