English Major in Writing Courses, Undergraduate Programs at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

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English literature courses carry humanities credit. 

ENGLISH 385-DL : Topics in Combined Studies: The Anti-Hero in Literature and Contemporary Culture

Description

In traditional literature, narratives often centered on the exploits of the hero, from Odysseus to Beowulf to King Arthur. But in contemporary culture the protagonists that draw our attention fall often fall far short of usual definitions of heroism, from Walter White in Breaking Bad, to Claire Underwood in House of Cards, to Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. We will read four short novels--Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground; Camus’s The Stranger; Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon (turned into a classic film, perhaps the first major example of film noir); and Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room--and one long novel, Margaret Atwood’s The Robber Bride, as well as two short plays, Sartre’s No Exit and Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Assignments will include literary analysis papers, with options for the second topic that involve film comparisons. For the major assignment, students will work as individuals or in groups to analyze a television or movie character as an anti-hero, with an oral presentation and video clips; then each student will write their own analysis of that character.

Students should have fulfilled the SPS writing requirement or completed equivalent writing courses prior to enrolling. Meets the post-1830 literature requirement for English Writing majors.

This course is conducted completely online. A technology fee will be added to tuition.

Note: This course is limited to School of Professional Studies students only. Undergraduate students in other schools at Northwestern are not permitted to enroll in this course.

Additional Information:

Humanities distribution course.