Not offered 2007-2008
SOC 201 Violence
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.
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