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121 - 130 of 191 results for: COMPLIT

COMPLIT 257A: Literature and Death: An Existential Constellation in its Historical Unfolding (COMPLIT 355A, FRENCH 256, ITALIAN 255)

This seminar will pursue the intuition that literary texts, due to their status as ¿fiction,¿ have always been intensely related to Death as the ultimate horizon of individual existence, a horizon that is only available to our ¿imagination.¿ We will concentrate on this ¿ largely unexplored ¿ link as an existential constellation of concrete historical and of challenging philosophical complexity. The discussions will begin with a detailed analysis of the canonical passages in Martin Heidegger¿s ¿Being and Time¿ from 1927 that try to understand the difference between Death ¿as seen from outside¿ and Death in its ¿Jemeinigkeit,¿ that is Death as the absolute end-horizon of individual existence which necessarily causes ¿Angst¿ because it is followed by ¿Nothingness.¿nnOn this basis and supplemented by an introduction into several present-day theories and reflections on ¿imagination¿ as a distinct potential of the human mind, we will dedicate the weekly seminar sessions to specific historical moments and different literary (and perhaps artistic) forms that have articulated the connection between Death and Literature (with the final choice of texts and paradigms being open to the participants¿ interests and area of competence). Topics and textual materials may include:nn- fifth century Greek Tragedy,n- Roman Stoicism,n- Medieval Epic in the context of Christian cosmology,n- Death as a horizon of individual existence in early Modernity (¿Don Quijote¿),n- the invisible presence of Death in baroque artn- the bracketing of Death in the context of the Enlightenment mentality,n- Death and suicide as gestures of Romantic self-stylization,n- the presence of Death in Classical and Romantic conception of musicn- Death and ¿the absence of God¿ in nineteenth century novels and philosophy,n- the experience of World War I and a new intensity in the experience of Death,n- Death and grand abstraction in artn- Death in mid-twentieth century Existentialismn- Death and its place in the ¿¿Anthropocene¿ as an early twenty-first century frame of mind.nnEmphasizing weekly the reading assignments and intense participation in the seminar discussions, this course is laid out for two units (no final paper) but open for the participation of auditors (including undergraduate students with specific areas of competence) who are willing to work through the full range of philosophical texts, literary texts, and artworks on the syllabus. Students interested in this topic should begin with a reading of Heidegger¿s ¿Being and Time¿ and try to remember own readings and forms of experiences that seem pertinent to this topic. Contact with the instructor during the summer months is encouraged (sepp@stanford.edu).
Last offered: Autumn 2015

COMPLIT 258A: Existentialism, from Moral Quest to Novelistic Form

This seminar intends to follow the development of Existentialism from its genesis to its literary expressions in the European postwar. The notions of defining commitment, of moral ambiguity, the project of the self, and the critique of humanism will be studied in selected texts by Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Unamuno, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Joan Sales.
Last offered: Winter 2016

COMPLIT 259A: Levinas and Literature (JEWISHST 249A)

Focus is on major works by French phenomenologist Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) and their import for literary studies. Aim is to discuss and evaluate Levinas's (often latent) aesthetics through a close reading of his work in phenomenology, ethics, and Jewish philosophy. If poetry has come to seem barbaric (or at least useless) in a world so deeply shaped by genocide, forced migration, and climate change, Levinas offers a clear and deeply engaged path forward. If you love literature but still haven't figured out what on earth it might be good for, this course is for you. Readings and discussion in English.
Terms: Win | Units: 3-5
Instructors: Barletta, V. (PI)

COMPLIT 260B: Love and Negativity in Medieval Persian Mysticism

An analysis of apophatic discourses of love in medieval Persian mystical texts, 800-1300 AD. The philosophical underpinnings and implications of Sufi thought are discussed in this course. The principal aim, however, is to shed light on the radical poetic force of the Persian texts. Topics to be addressed include the fundamentally oral, temporal nature of mystic speech; the relation of the speaking I to the unknown and unknowable Other; the discourse of love in which God and the beloved are one; the linguistic fragmentation of mystical discourse, straining against the edges of meaning; the possibility of salvaging mystical experience in language; and, finally, the question of apophasis as a theologically and politically subversive act. Primary readings include texts on and by Bayazid Bastami (800-874), Mansur al-Hallaj (857-922), Ayn al-Qozat al-Hamadani (1098-1131), Ruzbihan Baqli (1128-1209), Farid al-Din Attar (1145/46-1221), Shahab ad-Din al-Suhrawardi (1154-1191), and Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 1273). These texts will be complemented by readings from Georges Bataille, Maurice Blanchot, Michel de Certeau, Jacques Derrida, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe, Emmanuel Levinas, and Paul Ricoeur, among others. Taught in English.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3-5

COMPLIT 262A: Explosions of Enlightenment (GERMAN 262A)

Eighteenth-century culture seen as permeated by intellectual and artistic practices and plays pushing principles of reason and rationality to an extreme that becomes self-undercutting. Such obsessions and practices are becoming more visible and prominent now, as the traditional concept of "Enlightenment" (synonymous with the 18th century) is undergoing a profound transformation. Among the protagonists of this seminar will be: Diderot as a philosopher and novelist; Lichtenberg as a scientist and writer of everyday notes; Goya, accusing violence and obsessed with nightmarish visions; Mozart as the excessive master of repetition and variation.
Last offered: Winter 2014

COMPLIT 264: Walter Benjamin (GERMAN 264A)

Walter Benjamin's work as cultural historian, critic, literary author and philosopher, seen from the trajectory of a German-Jewish intellectual life in the context of the first half of the 20th century. Providing such a historical perspective will be the condition for an actively critical reading of Benjamin's works; a reading that -- counter to the predominant Benjamin-reception -- will try to distinguish between works of purely biographical and historical interest and those Benjamin texts that prove to be of great and lasting intellectual value. Taught in English.
Last offered: Winter 2014

COMPLIT 270: Poetess (Obsolete): Women Poets Take Back Time

Is there a tradition of women poets creating forms against the grain of their time? Close reading of women poets in conjunction with short readings in philosophy of time (Kant, Kierkegaard, Bergson, Heidegger). Syllabus includes Sappho, Dickinson, G Mistral, M Moore, E Bishop, Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, Plath, N Sachs, G Brooks, Harjo, Cisneros, Szymborska, Students will introduce their favorites. Last weeks: living poet-performers, including our own Stanford talent. Poetry party/Symposium at end.
Terms: Spr | Units: 1-5

COMPLIT 275: Humanities Education in the Changing University (DLCL 320, GERMAN 250)

Advanced study in the humanities faces changes within fields, the university and the wider culture. Considers the debate over the status of the humanities with regard to historical genealogies and current innovations. Particular attention on changes in doctoral education. Topics include: origins of the research university; disciplines and specialization; liberal education in conflict with professionalization; literature and literacy education; interdisciplinarity as a challenge to departments; education policy; digital humanities; accountability in education, assessment and student-centered pedagogies.
Last offered: Winter 2013

COMPLIT 278: European Nihilism (COMPLIT 378, FRENCH 278, FRENCH 378, ITALIAN 278, ITALIAN 378)

This course will probe the thought of nothingness in various European writers and thinkers. The main authors include Giacomo Leopardi, Nietszsche, Michelstader, Heidegger, Beckett, and Emile Cioran.
Terms: Win | Units: 3-5

COMPLIT 281: Visions of the Future in Literature

Emphasis on personal and collective future as perceived and described in works translated from Hebrew or written originally in English. Focus on novels, short stories, poems and movies that deal both with the future of Israel and the Middle East and the future of individuals in the area. Guest speaker on Science Fiction and the Graphic Novel. The course is part of "The Future of Storytelling" activities organized by Taube Center for Jewish Studies.
Last offered: Spring 2013 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
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