Skinning the German Onion: Guenter Grass as Writer, Graphic Artist, Political Activist
GRST 235
Spring 2015
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01
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Born in 1927 in the free city of Danzig, Günter Grass grew up in an environment dominated by Nazi ideology and war. After serving briefly--at seventeen--in the Waffen-SS, Grass emerged from American prisoner-of-war camp to find Germany divided and the Western half of the country eager to forget the recent past as it rebuilt its infrastructure and its economy with American Cold War support. Grass has spent his career drawing lessons from his own past and his country's history. Through his writing, visual art, and political interventions, he has repeatedly prodded and provoked his contemporaries, reminding them of the need for "doubt"--his shorthand for critical thinking and constant vigilance. Yet Grass's highly imaginative and stylistically challenging works eschew didacticism and defy critics and political adversaries who like to portray him as a one-dimensional preacher. In this course, we will review Grass's life's work as an artist, a family man, and a citizen who has chosen Sisyphus as his patron saint and can be as ruthless toward himself as he is to the cant and superficiality he perceives around him. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA GRST |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (GRST-MN)(GRST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
THE TIN DRUM
THE PLEBIANS REHEARSE THE UPRISING
LOCAL ANAESTHETIC
TWO STATES, ONE NATION
THE CALL OF THE TOAD
FROM GERMANY TO GERMANY
TOO FAR AFIELD
PEELING THE ONION
CRABWALK
Selected poems, essays, and art works
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Examinations and Assignments:
6 short papers (4-5 pp), to be revised, and a final project |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Regular attendance and participation in class discussion required |
| Instructor(s): Winston,Krishna R. Times: ...W.F. 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: FISK312; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: X | JR major: X | | |
| Seats Available: 19 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 4 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 4 | FR: 7 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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