Amsterdam Literary Classics

Description

In this course you will become familiar with Amsterdam by some of its literary highlights. We read texts that have received (inter)national acclaim and that are key in understanding both historical and present-day Amsterdam and the Netherlands, ranging from Bredero's De Spaansche Brabander to The Diary of Anne Frank, from Tobi Lakmaker's debut novel The History of My Sexuality to Anton de Kom's We Slaves of Suriname . Our focus will be on the views of Amsterdam, its citizens and Dutch culture in an ever more globalizing world from the 17th century Golden Age till today. In class we will read and analyze the texts. Each text is linked to a special 'activity', like a city walk, a museum visit, or a movie. The course is open for all those interested in literature and culture, particularly Amsterdam literature and Dutch culture. We welcome participants from all disciplines. By letting students relate their own reading and daily life experiences to the literary texts, the class offers participating students an incentive to reflect anew on their own culture and society in an international atmosphere. Students finish this class with a written paper in English or Dutch about two books we have discussed. Objectives: The student will be able to recognize and articulate the foundational assumptions, central ideas, and dominant criticisms of important Dutch fictional texts from various periods. The student will be able to present knowledge of Dutch history and culture, especially concerning the city of Amsterdam in a globalizing world. The student will be able to compare different Dutch fictional texts to each other. The student will be able to integrate course activities and class discussions in a final paper, written in English or Dutch.