Literature represents not only heroic actions but also the base desires that can haunt human interactions and the many "ordinary" behaviors that lie between these extremes. Characters in literature make choices that depend on their perception of ethical alternatives. Literature invites us to consider the motivating factors for electing one path of action over another as well as the consequences of specific choices on individuals and groups within society. As literary characters confront various conflicts with family members, with the restrictions imposed by social codes and laws, and with the demands of a "smaller planet" in which our health, economies, and identities are increasingly intertwined, they pattern through their choices our own struggles to understand the world, our place in it, and how we can contribute to improving the quality of life for ourselves and others. Literature invites the attentive reader to consider the values implicit in certain behaviors; to weigh the pros of cons of conflicting interests; and to imagine alternatives to perceived impasses.

This Focus-style program, which is open to all rising Sophomores (class of 2007) at Washington University regardless of their schools and their declared or intended majors, explores literary and philosophical approaches to ethics in three courses: a fall course entitled “World Literature” (Comparative Literature 211) that examines ethics, displacement, and identity in non-western and western twentieth-century fiction; a new spring seminar entitled “Literature and Ethics: Out of Cruelty” (Comparative Literature 364) that explores ethical and aesthetic responses to cruelty and violence in literary works spanning several historical periods; and a companion course “Present Moral Problems” (Philosophy 131) that may be taken either in the fall or spring semester. In the course of the year, several events will be held expressly for the participants in the program, such as informal discussions, film showings, and play outings. These three courses also count as a Textural and Historical Studies Cluster.

The fall course, “World Literature: Exile and Displacement in Twentieth-Century Fiction,” taught by Professor Miriam Bailin, examines the ways in which the modern world has become increasingly interconnected and its citizens correspondingly more interdependent. Many factors account for this defining aspect of modernity: the legacies of imperialism and colonialism; the mass migrations following war and large-scale economic distress; the speed and efficiency of travel and communication; and a continually expanding global economy. The international scope that shapes modern experience profoundly affects the most intimate issues of personal and communal identity; health and security; ethical obligation and the nature of our values--civic, religious, and individual. Authors to be studied in the course include V.S. Naipaul, Assia Djebar, Chinua Achebe, Rohinton Mistry, W.G. Sebald, and Seamus Deane.

The spring seminar “Out of Cruelty,” taught by Professor Harriet Stone, focuses not on large-scale acts of violence such as war, torture, and genocide but rather on "ordinary" acts of cruelty that degrade, isolate, exploit, and terrorize individuals. Acts of psychological abuse rooted in envy, greed, and anger are evident across history, as across cultures. Examining major works of literature from different periods by authors such as Chaucer, Montaigne, Hawthorne, Zola, Faulkner, and Coetzee, as well as examples contemporary cinema, this course considers the causes and effect of violence and possible aesthetic and ethical responses that offer a way out of the destructive effects of cruelty.

The companion course “Present Moral Problems,” which offers several sections in both fall and spring semesters, investigates a range of contemporary moral issues and controversies that draw on philosophical ethics and global moral considerations. Topics may include racism, world hunger, war and terrorism, the distribution of income and wealth, gender discrimination, lesbian and gay rights, abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment.

In order to be accepted into the program, you must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. To apply, send an email message to Professor Robert Henke (rhenke@wustl.edu) indicating your interest and current GPA.

If you are accepted into the program, you will be guaranteed a spot in World Literature and in the spring seminar. You should register for “Present Moral Problems” yourself, either in the fall or spring semester.

Enrollment in the program is limited to fifteen students. Although we will be accepting applications on a rolling basis through the summer, if you would like to know sooner about your eligibility, the next committee review of applicants will take place Friday, May 28th.