A College Final Paper about Workers of the World: Representations of Labor in Literature

Workers of the World: Representations of Labor in Literature Daniel Riccuito

HPD 3493R [email protected]

Wednesday, 3:20-6:10pm Fall 2019

Course description: Time is money. At least that's what we're told. It's strange to imagine that you could put a price on hours and minutes, but this is precisely what we do at the workplace. This course will explore literary and visual texts that challenge our assumptions about how human time and human lives should be valued. Readings from authors of philosophical and fictional works will include Marx, Orwell, Sartre, Melville and Woolf. We will also view selected films in the science fiction and magic-realist genres that imagine futuristic forms of labor, such as Brazil, Metropolis and Dark City.

 

Course objectives: To explore the historical relationship between Capital, Labor and Democracy in the United States; and to use great thinkers as guideposts in the formulation of ideas concerning our immediate future as well as our shared long-term goals – where do we agree and where do we differ in our concepts of freedom and equality?

 

Course requirements: Students are expected to attend every scheduled class meeting and to participate fully in class discussions.  This necessarily requires that each student complete all required reading assignments.  Students’ final grade will be based on grades earned from one examination, one long paper (5 pages), various short in-class writing assignments, attendance, and class participation:

 

1. final paper and other written work 50% of final grade

 

2. final exam 40% of final grade

 

3. attendance/class participation 10% 

Required texts/textbooks

 

Herman Melville, Bartleby

Dover, ISBN 0486-264734 (free on Google Books and Amazon Kindle)

Ha Jin, In The Pond

Studs Terkel, Hard Times

Tillie Olsen, Yonnondio: From the Thirties

Academic integrity

Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, will not be tolerated. Students found to have committed an act of academic dishonesty will fail the assignment for which an infraction is suspected and substantiated. More serious violations will be handled through the process enumerated in the SVA Handbook (p.8). Put simply, make sure your work is your own.

Students with Disabilities

SVA is committed to providing students with access to their academic programs and courses. If you are a student with a disability and require accommodations, you must register with Disability Resources by visiting sva.edu/disabilityresources and completing an online accommodation request. To be eligible for accommodations in this course, students must provide the instructor with a letter of accommodation from Disability Resources. For questions or assistance, please call Disability Resources at 212-592-2396, or visit the office: 340 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010, or email [email protected]

SVA Attendance Policy

The SVA Handbook says: The School of Visual Arts is a professional art college dedicated to teaching and learning. Attendance is required in all courses, and the individual faculty member determines the number of acceptable absences, if any. However, students who are marked absent for one-third of the sessions for a given course will be administratively withdrawn from the course with a grade of W.

Course syllabus, subject to change

 

Week one    course introduction

 

Week two     Herman Melville, Bartleby

 

Week three  Ha Jin, In The Pond

 

Week four    Ha Jin, In The Pond

 

Week five    Ha Jin, In The Pond

 

Week six     Ha Jin, In The Pond

 

Week seven mid term exam

 

Week eight  Studs Terkel, Hard Times

 

Week nine   Studs Terkel, Hard Times

Week ten     Studs Terkel, Hard Times

 

Week eleven    Tillie Olsen, Yonnondio: From the Thirties

Week twelve Tillie Olsen, Yonnondio: From the Thirties

 

Week thirteen Tillie Olsen, Yonnondio: From the Thirties

 

Week fourteen Tillie Olsen, Yonnondio: From the Thirties

 

Week fifteen         final paper due, NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED