YOUTH INITIATIVE HIGH SCHOOL
Waldorf Initiative in Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA
COURSES AND CLASSES
Man and the Modern World
Modern World History and Literature
12th Grade – Oct. 30 – Dec. 1, 2006
Instructors: Jacob Hundt and Lars Bergan
From “A Poem for the End of the Century”
by Czeslaw Milosz (Poland/USA-1911-2004)
When everything was fine
And the notion of sin had vanished
And the earth was ready
In universal peace
To consume and rejoice
Without creeds and utopias,
I, for unknown reasons,
Surrounded by the books
Of prophets and theologians,
Of philosophers, poets,
Searched for an answer,
Scowling, grimacing,
Waking up at night, muttering at dawn…
This five week class will encompass several masterpieces of literature and over 100 years of the densest and most complicated history that the world has ever seen. The overarching theme will be (Wo)man and Society—how an individual human being fits into an increasingly crowded and bureaucratic world. Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, will the first case we’ll study. We’ll also examine the biographies of several world leaders and read a few other works of literature—All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, The Stranger, by Albert Camus, and the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz, Anna Akhmatova, and Paul Celan. We will also several significant films, either in class or in evening sessions. As we pursue our general theme, we’ll look at several aspects of the problem of modern life:
· The breakdown of traditional systems of moral authority.
· The increasing role of government in the life of each person.
· The collapse of colonial empire and the rise of nationalism.
· The causes and effects of the two World Wars and the Cold War.
· The tendency of “people’s movements” to crease efficient bureaucracies and authoritarian leaders.
· The creation of mass media and a celebrity culture.
As for the work that the students will do, the first two weeks it will primarily be reading and discussing Crime and Punishment. There will a few brief writing opportunities in class and a test at the end to make sure that the students have read and understood the book. During the third week, students will be given several possible essay topics that will guide them towards integrating the events and ideas covered in the class into a coherent narrative. In order to pass the class, students will need to complete written work on time and demonstrate in discussion and on paper that they are keeping up with the reading.
Course Schedule:
Week 1:
Mon.: Introduction to Crime and Punishment
Tues.: Lecture: the Modernization of Russia
Weds: Crime and Punishment, to p. 50
Thurs.: Lecture: Colonialism
Fri.: Crime and Punishment, to p. 112
Week 2:
Mon.: Crime and Punishment, to p. 182
Tues.: Lecture: Atatürk and Nationalism
Weds.: Crime and Punishment, to p. 259
Thurs.: Lecture: Einstein, Relativity and Relativism?
Fri.: Crime and Punishment, to p. 375. Act out Dinner Scene
Week 3:
Mon.: Test on Crime and Punishment
Tues.: Lecture: WWI
Weds.: All Quiet on the Western Front, 1st half
Thurs.: Lecture: Treaty of Versailles, Weimar Germany, Fascism
Fri.: All Quiet on the Western Front, 2nd half
Week 4:
Mon.: Lecture: Churchill
Tues.: Lecture: Hitler & the Poetry of Paul Celan
Weds.: Lecture: Stalin & the Poetry of Anna Akhmatova
Thurs. & Fri: No School
Week 5:
Mon.: The Stranger
Tues.: Lecture: The Cold War Evening: Watch “Manchurian Candidate”
Weds.: Guest Lecture: Vietnam
Thurs.: Guest Lecture: Ronald Reagan & the End of the Cold War
Fri.: Projects due