LTA2008 Happily Ever After? Re-Examining Fairy Tales
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts Credits
This course examines a range of fairy tale motifs as they recur across time and cultures, asking such questions as: Why are fairy tales so popular with children and adults? How do the messages of fairy tales shape both individual identity and the broader cultural moment? How does culture shift fairy tales? What are the hegemonic and subversive possibilities of fairy tales? For example, what are its gendered tropes and how are these re-examined or subverted? We will examine multiple genres including short stories, poems, and films. To place these works in their cultural context, we will also read select items of literary theory and criticism, history, and psychology. This course contributes to both the Cultivating Inclusion and the Embracing Global and Multicultural Perspectives educational themes.
The class will be built on active learning and reading and will deepen critical thinking skills. Course materials will draw on print, visual, and auditory sources, to expose students to a wide range of literary/artistic styles. Class discussion will be largely student-focused, including student presentations. Students will write an essay, complete a creative project, and give an oral presentation to demonstrate their analytical skills, and will take both a midterm and final exam to measure recognition, critical thinking, and synthesis skills.
Prerequisites: FCI 1000 and WRT 1001