Director:
Professor Vida T. Johnson, German, Russian, and Asian Languages
and Literatures
The program provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the world's cultural traditions. In each course a central theme is examined chronologically in representative societies. Every class is team-taught by faculty from various disciplines.
The courses offer a comparative approach to the development of world cultures. Interactions between societies and the role played by various social groups in the creation of each civilization are emphasized.
The program imparts basic knowledge of the cultures that have flourished on the planet, while fostering an awareness of the past and its impact on the present. It proceeds from the conviction that all parts of the university and all parts of the globe can speak to the same fundamental issues.
For more information on the program, call 617-627-3442. The World Civilizations office is located in the Department of German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literatures, Olin Building, Room 326.
Courses
17 Reading the World: Love and Sexuality in World Literature. (Cross-listed as World Literature 17, Russian 91, Japanese 91.) Comparative examination of representations of love and sexuality in Japanese and Russian literature with supplementary guest lectures from Judaic and Chinese culture. Specific issues to be addressed across a diverse body of literature, film, and art include 1) the fusion of sexuality and romance, 2) love as a problem/love as an ideal, 3) societal conventions as to so-called proper or normative behavior (the various ways hetero- and homosexuality, celibacy, and hedonism have been understood nd commented upon in artistic media). No prerequisites. All discussions and readings in English. Satisfies the humanities distribution requirement.
19 Cultural Conceptions of the Self. Examines the construction of the self in various civilizations and in selected historical periods, particularly those characterized by the colonial dominance of one culture over another. Literary sources, including the works of Indian, Native American, African and/or Caribbean authors, and readings from psychological, sociological, and anthropological perspectives are studied to reveal the structures of identity. Satisfies the humanities or social sciences distribution requirement. Harder and others
22 East-West Perspectives on Fascism: Japan and Germany. (Cross-listed as German 84 and Japanese 84.) Comparative study of fascism, its history and foundations in social and political developments and ideologies; philosophical and historical concepts through literature, art, myth. The structure of fascism and fascist iconography. Fascist tendencies in modern Japan and Germany. In English. Satisfies the humanities distribution requirement. Inouye, Martin
91 Cultural Legacies of the Atomic Bomb. (Cross-listed as CIS 150, Japanese 91, and PJS 150.) The atomic bomb changed the world forever. Through an exploration of literature, photographs, film, history, the popular press, and documentaries, this interdisciplinary course will consider the lasting political, social, cultural, scientific, and ethical legacies of that event on our everyday lives. The course will begin with an investigation of the situation in 1945. The decision to use the atomic bomb will receive a great deal of attention. The legacies, of course, follow from that decision and need to be studied with a deep understanding of that event. Hirata, Cohen