COMP 403
Edward Said Spring 2013
Division I
Cross-listed AMST 415 / ENGL 415
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

Edward Said (1935-2003), one of the major critics of the last century, is best known for his groundbreaking 1978 book Orientalism, which inaugurated the field of postcolonial studies, and for his activist work on behalf of the Palestinian peoples. But his intellectual interests were wide-ranging: from French literary theory to Vico to Middle East politics to Glenn Gould. A true public intellectual, Said was a rarity among university academics. Besides writing several important scholarly books, he also wrote for various non-academic publications, such as The Nation, Al-Ahram, and The London Review of Books; co-founded, with the musician Daniel Barenboim, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra; and, from 1977-1991, served as a member of the Palestinian National Council. In this course, we will focus on works that represent different, though interconnected, facets of Said’s oeuvre: his more strictly literary critical work (Beginnings and The World, The Text, and the Critic), his work on society and culture (Orientalism and Culture and Imperialism), his writings on the Palestinian question and the Middle East (The Question of Palestine, Covering Islam, From Oslo to Iraq), his writings on music (Parallels and Paradoxes co-authored with Daniel Barenboim), and his late work (On Late Style). We will also examine criticism of his work–Orientalism in particular.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 12
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Prerequisites: none; some literature background helpful
Enrollment Preferences: American Studies, English and Comparative Literature majors
Distributions: Division I
Notes: meets Division 2 credit if registration is under AMST; meets Division 1 credit if registration is under ENGL or COMP
This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
AMST 415 Division II COMP 403 Division I ENGL 415 Division I

Class Grid

Course Catalog Archive Search

TERM/YEAR
TEACHING MODE
SUBJECT
DIVISION



DISTRIBUTION



ENROLLMENT LIMIT
COURSE TYPE
Start Time
End Time
Day(s)