HUM 175 Classics in Conversation III: "Perennial Questions in the Present Era"
This course will consist of a careful reading of short stories and poems from the mid-18th century to the present and consideration of thematically relevant films. Works are chosen that reflect man's complex endeavors in the modern world. Special themes may be explored (such as the dominance of technology, the distortion of religious faith, or the loss of individual identity in industrial society), but works will be examined that shed light on what is timeless and human in literature and art. Through discussion of these works, we will identify the themes that characterize the confrontation of pre-modern with modern life. We will also attempt to identify the features of human nature and reality that persist through any such change. The objective of the course is to become more careful readers, develop a familiarity with some important pieces of modern literature, art, and film, and to address questions of deep importance to our lives.