2010-2011 Academic Catalog

Feb 05, 2025

2010-2011 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

HIST 269 - Transgression and Policing: Eighteenth-Century Culture and Society

Type of Course: Seminar

Transgression and Policing: Eighteenth-Century Culture and Society/Seminar In Britain and France, the 18th century was a time of momentous and uneasy transformation. Political, economic, social and scientific shifts undermined old political systems, as well as hierarchies of rank and gender. In every way, Europeans were overstepping the boundaries that had, at least in theory, defined their reality for preceding centuries. As old norms were threatened, efforts were made to carefully “police” political and social acts. Essential to this policing was the redefinition of what was considered transgressive. Using an interdisciplinary approach that will combine the study of history and literature, this course will examine the social, cultural, political and intellectual developments of 18th-century Britain and France through the lens of policing and transgression. We will explore the conditions that defined these movements as transgressive and track how forces of policing and change together created new norms. Students will read historical monographs, literature and other primary sources, which will be interpreted both as literature and as historical evidence.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructors. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the Period (C-2) requirement.

Cross Listed: ENG 269, ENG 369

Instructor: Ms. Kasmer, Ms. Kushner

When Offered: Offered 2009-2010

Faculty: Lisa Kasmer, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of English, Nina Kushner, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of History