If This Is an Author: Primo Levi and the Politics of Authorship (FYS)
RL&L 130F
Fall 2024
| Section:
01
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In this First Year Seminar, we look at what makes an author to help you become a better writer. Through the case study of Primo Levi, we address questions of authorship, reception, and appropriation. From his seminal Holocaust text, "If This Is a Man" (first published in 1947, also known in the States as "Survival in Auschwitz"), to the philosophical essays of "The Drowned and the Saved" (1986), Levi was a writer of many genres (memoir, poetry, short fiction, novel, non-fiction) who confronted some of the most crucial themes of the 20th century: genocide, moral choices, the uses of science and technology, the relationship between historical truth and memory, and the power of language. In this course, we reflect on what an author is in theory (Barthes, Foucault, Sedgwick, Spivak, etc.) and in practice, engaging with and reacting to Levi's writing through such questions as: what makes a literary work authentic and why should we trust the words of an author? How do authors affirm their authority in their own country and abroad, and what is the role of publishers, translators, and critics in their reception? What happens when an author becomes a character for another author, and, more generally, what are the aesthetic and ethical implications of appropriating an author's body (of work)? As we critically read a significant portion of Levi's "Complete Works", you will hone your interpretative and writing skills through class discussion, short writing assignments, in-class presentations, and ample feedback, understanding how questions of authorship do not pertain solely to a literary author like Primo Levi, but can also help you become a more confident writer. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ITST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 | | Special Attributes: FYS |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
: Primo Levi, THE COMPLETE WORKS (ed. Ann Goldstein)
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Examinations and Assignments:
: Informal class presentations, writing assignments of varied length, including: response posts, creative writing exercises, and short analytical essays. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
: No knowledge of Italian required. |
| Instructor(s): Miglianti,Giovanni Times: .M.W... 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: PAC116; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: X | JR major: X | | |
| Seats Available: 6 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: X | FR: 15 |
| 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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