Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0214 - The Question of Evil in Literature and Philosophy

The problem of evil won't go away. Despite repeated attempts to dismiss the concept of evil as archaic and outmoded, it continues to haunt contemporary culture and thought. In literature, evil becomes a particularly prominent theme in the 19th century. Is literature intimately--or necessarily--connected to transgression, and to evil? We will explore 19th- and 20th-century literary as well as philosophical texts that take up the fascination with evil, and explore the difficulties thinkers have in confronting and making sense of it. We will also watch a few films that engage the question of evil. (keywords: literature, philosophy, ethics)

In/Justice This course includes both in-person and remote elements, but can accommodate fully remote students. Students in this course can expect to spend 6 to 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.