SOC 201 Violence (Not offered 2006-2007)
This multidisciplinary course analyzes violence and aggression within broad
historical and comparative frameworks. The course begins with an examination
of the universality of violence and humankind's ceaseless fascination with it. It
then proceeds through an examination of types and meanings of violence.
Topics include: war and warriors; industrialized violence; ethnic and racial
savagery; violence in the name of God; political violence; terror; honor and
violence; sexual violence; criminal violence; and self-destructiveness. The
course concludes with a look at forces of order and peace in several historical
contexts. Special attention paid throughout to representations of violence in art,
literature, and cinema. Readings include selections from Homer, Aeschylus,
Tacitus, Suetonius, Dostoevsky, Sorel, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Bloch,
Tambiah, and Deutscher, along with many other classical and contemporary
writers.
Format: discussion. Requirements: extensive reading, several class
presentations, major term paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 25. Preference given to first-year students
and sophomores.