CSCH 1040 ALIENATION IN THE UNITED STATES
This course will examine forms of alienation in the United States with particular emphasis on the intersection of Political theory, Feminist theory, Cultural studies, Environmental thought and Psychology. Examples will be drawn from art, literature and architecture. Concepts will include: individualism, choice, freedom and happiness. Specifically, we will analyze how these prevailing ideas support or undermine the "human condition," as understood from antiquity to the present. We will consider the disparate manifestations of alienation such as drug abuse and addiction, and the increase in stress-related illnesses tied to the work environment. The literature to be examined in this course suggests that human nature is far less static and great deal more fragile than it is customary to assume, and so, the question emerges: Are we becoming alienated not only from nature but from what it means to be human as well?