Courses in Institute for the Humanities (Division 394)

102. First Year Seminar in Interdisciplinary Studies. (3). (SS).
Section 001 – The Face of War: Emotion and Armed Conflict. This course will survey the emotional experience of war and armed conflict from a multicultural perspective. Expressions of fear, hatred, courage, cowardice, love, and sacrifice remain an integral part, if not a defining characteristic, of conflict despite efforts to create a dispassionate military science. Reflections of these emotional experiences will be explored in the film, literature, and art of America, Europe, and Asia. We will examine war as seen by movie makers, novelists, professional soldiers, and combat veterans from America, Europe, and Asia. Some of the autobiographies we will read include Guy Sayer's The Forgotten Soldier, Philip Caputo's A Rumour of War, and Duong Thu Huong's A Novel Without a Name. Veterans will introduce and lead class discussions of Oliver Stone's Platoon, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, and Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot. Additional readings include: J. Glenn Gray, The Warriors (1959); John Keegan, The Face of Battle (1976); Ben Shalit, The Psychology of Conflict and Combat (1988); and Betty Glad, ed., The Psychological Dimensions of War (1990). There are no prerequisites. (Forage)

411. Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies. Advanced undergraduate standing. (1-4). (HU). May be repeated for credit.
Section 001 – The Dynamics of Emotion: Perspectives from Psychology and Literature. (3 credits). How is negative emotion best transformed over time in this militantly optimistic culture of ours? We will explore how people manage to transform negative emotion without resorting to emotional suppression or other means of circumvention. Guiding questions include: What are pragmatic and ethical implications of the cultural taboo on negative emotion? What is the proper relationship between reason and emotion? To what extent are people responsible for their emotions? As an entree into the topic, we will focus on regret and related emotions like sadness, remorse, and guilt. Taking seriously the intersubjective nature of emotional life, we will explore forms of emotional change that transpire not only "inside" the individual, but also out in the interpersonal and social worlds. We will draw on psychodynamic theory (on mourning, reparation, and artistic creativity); empirical research on emotion; and literary portrayals of emotional change in short stories, poetry, and novels. This upper-level seminar course entails considerable reading, writing, and discussion. Cost:2 (Landman)

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