NES 1933

FWS: Ruins of Modernity

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2020-2021.

Ruins move people to write. They inspire poets and philosophers, archaeologists and anthropologists, geographers and architects to think about the remnants of the worlds humans create, abandon, and destroy. No era in history has produced more ruins than modernity. In this course, we will use the concept of 'the ruin' to examine different ways of writing in the humanities, particularly archaeology and anthropology. We will read and write about ruination and time, materiality and decay, and the livelihoods that take shape in the debris of capitalism, socialism, colonialism and industrialization. You will write a series of short essays, guided by a multi-step process, from planning, to drafting, to revising, to editing. Together, we will dig deep into the art of crafting persuasive, energetic expository prose.

When Offered Spring.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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