Humanities 1171

    In the Midst of Water: 
        Origin and Destiny of Life

Honors Seminar
Fall semester, 2000
Cambridge Community College
Instructor: Steven Beste

The course syllabus, which is a document of general information, includes our schedule, our goals, and our texts. Most questions about how we will conduct our course should be answered here. 

Our strategy for discussing this issue will depend on a number of variables: our class size, our class interests (yes, class members will help shape our direction!), and our pace through the required materials. While there may be some scientific components to our discussion, class members should be aware that I teach English literature and not biology! I will attempt to bring in experts in those scientific fields to augment our discussions, but our primary focus will be on the use of water symbolism and water motif in art, philosophy, music, and especially, literature. 

In fact, one motif students may want to think about in anticipation of our first class discussions is how water is used in literature and mythology to represent both destruction (drowning, floods, being exiled or marooned) and salvation (baptism, regeneration, new beginnings).              

Our texts include both of these motifs, as well as other themes. We will examine the following texts:  

            Genesis, Exodus, Jonah, et al from the Bible
            The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
            The Open Boat, Stephen Crane 
             Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
            Huck Finn, Mark Twain 
            The Tempest, William Shakespeare 
            Moby Dick, Herman Melville
                                     
In addition, I may bring in photocopied articles or other selections to aid our discussions around these texts. In addition, the web has plenty of pertinent articles on the subject of water---including resources, other myths, and legends---and some of these will be integrated into our discussions.  It seems likely we will begin with a study of the myths and stories of Western civilization. 

Additional related material (not yet assigned):

             Films:
                  A River Runs Through It 
                  Das Boot 
                  Deliverance                  
                  Perfect Storm

Resources for this topic should be plentiful, with some digging. I have a couple of sites here:
        Paintings of Austin Miller
        Paintings of Joseph Mallord William Turner

Our schedule for this semester is outlined in the syllabus. You may wish to print out a version if you would like.  This online version of the syllabus will change as our course changes. Please keep up-to-date on any revisions by checking this link often. Note the time stamp at the bottom of the syllabus page to check for the most recent version.

          © 2000 Steve Beste   
                  

The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by Anoka-Ramsey Community College.