Literary studies, cultural studies, anthropology and sociology have increasingly claimed cultural centrality of narrative. Stories, the argument goes, are the main way we make sense of things. There is a basic human drive to hear and tell, and today mostly to see stories (from Hollywood as a global dream factory to downloaded films on small computer screens). Through different examples from variety of films and texts this course will investigate the role of cultural production that shapes our stories, or, what we consider reality. This year we will focus on narratives on utopia/dystopia.


The students will gain insight into the phenomena of violence present in contemporary American literature and culture. Through the analysis of various social issues as well as literary texts the student will gain an insight into the reoccurring presence and re-affirmation, which in turn can be observed as a subversive instrument whose function is the questioning and the subverting of the utopian perception of the American dream. By attempting to follow the development of violent paradigms, and through the analysis of its roots, the course will attempt to emphasize the role of literature within the process of articulation of the American “national anxiety”. In addition to this, through their seminar work, the students are expected to continue, in a more critical way, the analysis of the relationship between violence, society and literature.