SCAN 250 -- Scand Fantasies

Sami shaman with his magic drum. From: Beskrivelse over Finnmarkens Lapper, deres Tungemaal, Levemaade og forrige Afgudsdyrkelse, 1767. [link]

Expanded course description

Masks and Ecstatic Experience: This class is designed to prompt an interrogation of mere appearances. This questioning of the superficial will be enacted through the close reading of a series of texts and films that highlight the difficulty of interpretation. The goal is to develop the critical thinking skills that enable us to more accurately read our experiences and our environments. With this goal in mind, this course will introduce you to a number of works that use masks and tell tales of ecstatic experiences. The masks can be as simple as a pseudonym or as subtle as formal aesthetic choices. The initial premise is that masks are used to depict ecstatic experience (traumatic events, religious passion, sexual desire, and the like) because these experiences are transformative, and that the face of transformation, the appearance of becoming, needs the mask in order to be legible. While this course is an introduction to a way of thinking critically about cultural production, it also serves as an introductory survey to the art, literature and film of Scandinavia. The class is conducted in English.

Group: A&L

Offered 200701.

Syllabus

Although syllabi can change from term to term, a syllabus may provide further information about typical instances of this course.