Colloquium 268 - Storytelling

The course explores the act and art of storytelling as the foundational well of every culture. Students will analyze the style, structure, and reach of storytelling from ancient myths (Babylonian mythology, the Bible, the Poem of Gilgamesh, the Viking sagas, the Vedas and the Mayan Popol Vuh) to Shakespeare and Cervantes and onward to contemporary forms (games, stand-up comedy, literature, theater, dance, art, cinema, TV, radio, commercials, etc.). Students will read broadly and engage in their own storytelling across media. The ultimate goal is to draft an autobiographical and theoretical book about storytelling and to produce a theatrical performance.

This course is part of a model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive research with faculty in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.

Open to sophomores and juniors interested in research. Limited to 7 students. Spring semester. Professor Stavans.

How to handle overenrollment: Professor will find balance according to geographical background, gender, ethnicity, intellectual interests, etc

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: This is a new interdisciplinary field that combines scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, writing and theater.