Dostoevsky's Bros Karamzov
Spring 2021
Taught By: Val Vinokur
Section: A
CRN: 8970
Credits: 3
For Fyodor Dostoevsky, real ideas were things felt and not simply thought. This could explain why one might think that a novel like the Brothers Karamazov--his last and arguably greatest work-- has a philosophical, theological, or ideological value that would lend passion to what one already happens to believe. This course attempts a close reading of the novel that appreciates but ultimately exceeds its status as a source for social psychology, for theories of carnival and dialogue, Christian dogma, anti-theodicy, ethics, and political philosophy. After their initial encounter with what is, before anything else, a thrilling murder mystery, students examine the novel's contexts in a few of Dostoevsky's shorter works and in his notebooks, alongside secondary readings by Mikhail Bakhtin, Robert Belknap, Harriet Murav, Caryl Emerson, James Rice, Rene Girard, Gary Saul Morson, and others.
College: Schools of Public Engagement (NS)
Department: Humanities (NHUM)
Campus: Online (DL)
Course Format: Seminar (R)
Max Enrollment: 21
Add/Drop Deadline: February 8, 2021 (Monday)
Online Withdrawal Deadline: April 13, 2021 (Tuesday)
Seats Available: Yes
Status: Closed*
* Status information is updated every five minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 6:12am 2/25/2021 EST