English 178 - Winter, 2012

Topics in Nations, Regions, and Other Cultural Geographies

Topic: Geographies of Risk

Class Information

Instructor: Hsu, Hsuan L.
Time: MWF 9:00-9:50
Location: 207 Olson

Description

Today we don't just live in toxic environments - we are born with toxins in our cells, we eat and drink chemicals and absorb radiation, we learn to navigate and manage risks. Although the risk theorist Ulrich Beck has claimed that "Poverty is hierarchical, smog is democratic," groups and places are not equally affected by environmental risks. This class will look at how writers in different risk-laden places represent chemical and radioactive pollutants. Through close analysis of novels and films from Polynesia, South Korea, India, and different US communities, we will discuss how literature negotiates the subjectivity of risk perception, exposes invisible, incalculable, and time-delayed sources of harm, and explores the ethical and narrative implications of the marvelous, monstrous, vulnerable bodies produced in risky places.

Grading

participation, presentation, and in-class assignments 25%
short essay 15%
longer essay 40%
exam 20%

Texts

Don Delillo, White Noise
Percival Everett, Watershed
James George, Ocean ROads
Cherrie Moraga, Heroes and Saints
Susanne Antonetta, Body Toxic
Terry Tempest Williams, Refuge