İka 712 Comparative Literatures and Cultures

Hacettepe University

Faculty of Letters

Department of English Language and Literature
Syllabus

İKA 712 Comparative Cultures and Literatures

Prof. Dr. A. Deniz BOZER

2010-2011, Autumn
Aim: The aim of the course is to raise student awareness related to the nature, origins, and types of violence in British and American cultures, with some references to Turkish culture as well. The definition(s) of the term “violence” will be examined. The questions “What makes a violent society?” and “Can violence be prevented?” will be raised and discussed from sociological, psychological and political perspectives. A variety of literary genres such as drama, poetry and fiction will be used to illustrate violence across centuries starting with the middle ages into contemporary times. Moreover, the depiction of violence in feature films and humour will be examined. The course will try to offer an advanced critical perspective on violence by concentrating on issues such as verbal, physical, psychological, racial, colonial, sexual, domestic, political, religious violence, gang violence, media violence, random violence, campus violence, ecological violence, and violence in art (martyrs, executions, war, macabre scenes), violence in sports and violence in music/lyrics. A comprehensive study of relevant secondary works by critics and theorists will be used to foster critical reading .
Course Outline:

Week 1: General Introduction

Week 2: Armstrong, Nancy. The Violence of Representation: Literature and the History of Violence . PN56.V53 V759 1989

Boyd, Neil. The Beast Within : Why Men are Violent. BF 575.A3 B69 2000

Rupesinghe, Kumar. The Culture of Violence . HM281 .C89 1994

Esmer, Hayri. Şiddet İmgeleri ve Çözülmeler. Tez/5101 E53 2001   

Week 3: Ó Murchadha, Felix. Violence, Victims, Justifications : Philosophical Approaches.

HM886 .V5638 2006

Mortensen, Viggo. Şiddetin Tarihçesi [videorecording]. PN1997.2 .H5720 2006

Reemtsma, Jan Philipp. Vahşeti Kavramak: İnsan Zulmünü Açıklama Denemeleri.

HM886 .R4413 1998

Bradby, Hannah. Defining Violence : Understanding the Causes and Effects of Violence. HM281 .D38 1996

Week 4: Holmes, Stephen T. Violence : A Contemporary Reader. HM886 .V55 2004

DiCanio, Margaret. The Encyclopedia of Violence: Origins, Attitudes, Consequences. REF/HM291 .D484 1993

Fromm, Erich. The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness. BF575.A3 F77 1992

Meadows, Robert J. Understanding Violence and Victimization . HV6250.25 .M43 1998

Week 5: Kaeuper, Richard W. Violence in Medieval Society . HN398.E5 V56 2000

Classen, Albrecht. Violence in Medieval Courtly Literature: A Casebook. PN682.V55 V58 2004

Enders, Jody. The Medieval Theater of Cruelty: Rhetoric, Memory, Violence . PN1751 .E49 1999

Roberts, Anna. Violence against Women in Medieval Texts . PN682.V55 V55 1998

Week 6: Cohen, Derek. Shakespeare's Culture of Violence. PR3024 .C6 1993

Bamford, Karen. Sexual Violence on the Jacobean Stage. PR678.S4 B36 2000

Lieb, Michael. Milton and the Culture of Violence . PR3592.V56 L54 1994

Shoemaker, Robert Brink. The London Mob : Violence and Disorder in Eighteenth-century England . HV6485.G72 L668 2004

Week 7: Panayi, Panikos. Racial Violence in Britain, 1840-1950. DA125.A1 R335 1993 Just, Martin-Christoph. Visions of Evil:Origins of Violence in the English Gothic Novel .

PR830.T3 J87 1997

Bloom, Clive. Violent London : 2000 Years of Riots, Rebels, and Revolts. DA677 .B65 2003

İstanbul'da Şiddet ve Şiddetin Sosyolojik Arka Planı İstanbul Ticaret Odası. HM1116 .I871 2008

Week 8: Hufstader, Jonathan. Tongue of Water, Teeth of Stones: Northern Irish Poetry and Social Violence . PR8761 .H84 1999

Lerno, Geert Ed. The Crows behind the Plough: History and Violence in Anglo-Irish Poetry and Drama . PR 8781.H5 C76 1991

Sielke, Sabine. Reading Rape : The Rhetoric of Sexual Violence in American Literature and Culture, 1790-1990 . PS374.R35 S54 2002

Hofstadter, Richard Ed. American Violence: A Documentary History. E 179 H8 1970 

Week 9: Frohock, Wilbur Merrill. The Novel of Violence in America .PS 379 F7 1957Giles, James Richard. Violence in the Contemporary American Novel: An End to Innocence . PS374.V58 G55 2000

Bryant, Jerry H. Victims and Heroes: Racial Violence in the African American Novel . PS374.N4 B74 1997

Gunning, Sandra. Race, Rape, and Lynching: The Red Record of American Literature, 1890-1912. PS173.N4 G86 1996

Harris, Trudier. Exorcising Blackness. Historical and Literary Lynching and Burning Rituals. PS153.N5 H28 1984

Week 10: Tolnay, Stewart Emory. A Festival of Violence : An Analysis of Southern Lynchings, 1882-1930 . HV6464 .T65 1995

Tanner, Laura E .Intimate Violence: Reading Rape and Torture in Twentieth-Century Fiction. PS374.V53 T35 1994

Sağlam, Güliz. Kadınlara yönelik şiddete son [videorecording]. HV6626.23.T9 K33 2007

Malkin, Jeanette R. Verbal Violence in Contemporary Drama: From Handke to Shepard. PN1861 .M251 1992

Week 11: Keough, William. Punchlines: The Violence of American Humor. PS430 .K46 1990 Kick, Russell. You Are Being Lied To …The Disinformation Guide to Media Distortion, Historical Whitewashes and Cultural Myths . .Y68 2001

Boyle, Karen. Media and Violence: Gendering Debates . 96 V5 B69

Özer, Ömer. Medya Şiddet Toplum. P96.V52 T9 2007

Week 12: Potter, W. James. On Media Violence .P96.V5 P68 1999

Dolanay, Züleyha Sezen. Presentation of Urban Violence in the Turkish Media after the 1990s HN656.5.Z9 P57 2001

Tilly, Charles. The Politics of Collective Violence . HM886 .T55 2003

Leizman, Jon. Let's Kill 'em: Understanding and Controlling Violence in Sports .

GV706.7 .L44 1999

Week 13: Acet, Mehmet.. Sporda Saldırganlık ve Şiddet . GV 706.7 A34 2005

Ağın, Başak. Racism and Violence in Black Metal and Ska Lyrics. Tez/7534 .A271 2006 

 Boskin, Joseph. Urban Racial Violence in the Twentieth Century.

Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth . 1961DT33 F320 2001

Week 14: Whitaker, Leighton C. Understanding and Preventing Violence : The Psychology of Human Destructiveness . HM886 .W48 2000

Abbink, Jon. Meanings of Violence : A Cross Cultural Perspective . HM886 .M43 2000

Prince, Stephen.Screening Violence . PN1995.9.V5 S395 2000

Feature Films:

Sweeney Todd (Motion picture) . PN1997.2 .S9142 2008 CD.1 (SET)

Moore, Michael. Bowling for Columbine [videorecording]. PN1997.2 .B69 2003

Doctorow, E.L. Billy Bathgate. 1989. PS 3554 O3 B55 (Film)

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. 1965. HV6533 K3 C3 (Film)

Natural Born Killers [DVD videorecording]. PN1995.9.F43 N39 2000 

Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. 1971. PN 1995.9S26 C56 DVD Recording

Methodology: Articles and books will be assigned prior to each class meeting and then presented and discussed in class. Lessons will be conducted in the form of lecture, seminars and class discussions.

Textbooks: Students are expected to provide all the articles/books at the beginning of the semestre from libraries or bookstores.

Requirements: 1. Attendence is obligatory; more than 11 hours of absence will result in an F1.

2. Students are expected to come to class on time, having read the assigned material.

3. Students are expected to take active part in class discussions.

Assessment: Students are expected to hand in 3 formal papers supporting their argument with relevant theoretical work. Plagiarism will result in an F3. Students will also be expected to present 5 informal synopses of the works listed in the course outline. In the grading of all written and oral work 25% will be taken off for English mistakes.
Formal papers: 30% (10 pts. each)

Synopses: 25% (5 pts. each)

Participation in Class Discussions: 15%

In –class Final Exam: 30%

GOOD LUCK