Brief |
Social Science Approaches to Crime Fiction brings you the modern histories, societies, cultures, and economies of the world through the medium of crime fiction—short stories, novels, films, and television programs that revolve around murder, theft, espionage, treason, vengeance, and justice. This course thus tries to bring together aesthetic theory, social theory, and political theory through the examination of a particular genre of fiction. This course is intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students interested in the intersection of culture, politics, and society. It does not assume knowledge of Chinese, Korean, or Japanese, although familiarity with the histories and cultures of East Asia will be helpful. The bulk of the work will be reading, discussing, and writing; if you need help with writing skills, I am happy to work with you. By the end of the course you should be able to: · Analyze and explicate the plots, characters, symbolism, and literary strategies of the texts. · Identify, compare, and contrast key features of East Asian crime fiction, and understand and explain theories of the relationships of East Asian crime fiction to western crime fiction. · Understand and explain characteristics of the region’s economic and political systems, and connect those characteristics to features of the region’s crime fiction. · Recognize key historical events and movements affecting the past and present of the region, and explain how they are represented and critiqued through crime fiction. |
