BOOK BANNING IN RUSSIA AND AMERICA: A CROSS-CULTURAL INQUIRY
INTO THE NATURE OF CENSORSHIP
|
|
|||
|
|
| Examination of censorship and book banning in twentieth century America and Russia.
Topics discussed include blasphemy, pornography/obscenity, political persecution
of writers, the free speech movement, and "political correctness." Close
critical reading and examination of exemplary texts, artworks, and films. This is a one-hundred level course--a basic and broad survey of the major issues involving censorship and related issues. A film series has been arranged to complement the course. |
Course Texts
The following books are available at the College store for purchase. All of these
titles are also available in multiple copies at the Reserve Desk in the library.
Required
Mikhail Bulgakov, Heart of a Dog (Grove Press)
Herman Ermolaev, Censorship in Soviet Literature, 1917-1991 (Rowman &
Littlefield)
Stanley Fish, There’s No Such Thing as Free Speech... and It’s a Good Thing, Too
(Oxford)
Walter Kendrick, The Secret Museum. Pornography in Modern Culture (Univ. Of
California)
Jeffrey Williams (ed.), PC Wars. Politics and Theory in the Academy (Routledge)
Recommended
Richard Bolton (ed.), Culture Wars (The New Press)
Note
President E. Tobin has announced that the 1997-98 Presidential Focus Series will
deal “with such challenging issues as diversity, civility, conflict resolution and
hateful speech. The values of fairness, mutual respect, goodwill, honesty, debate
and compromise are justly prized within academic life. But these values must be nurtured
by teaching and by example, and defended by freedom of expression.” Given that these
themes cut to the heart of our work in this course you will asked to participate
actively in the events organized in conjunction with the Focus Series.
Escape Clause
You may be very offended by some of the material we examine in this course. If
you find any particular readings, WWW sites or assignments genuinely repugnant--such
that you cannot objectively focus on the issues at hand--please inform me (in advance
if possible) and we will devise some alternative for you.