LS 601 - Guilt and Innocence: America in the Twentieth Century

(3.00 cr.)

Traditionally, Americans have tended to see themselves as new Adams in a Garden of Eden. In the twentieth century, however, a debate emerged concerning America's guilt or innocence. This debate is viewed as it appears in fiction, popular essays, philosophy, politics, science, and the arts. Readings include Dewey, Fromm, Updike, Mary Gordon, Stephen Jay Gould, and others.