HON 200: On Revolution
Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 – 10:45
Honors House 190
Dan Haumschild, Ph.D.
Course Description
We use the word revolutionary to describe everything from widespread social change to the
newest fast food option for breakfast. In short, we may be using the concept of revolution far too
liberally. In this class, we will attempt to understand its complex and specific meanings by
tackling some challenging questions: Does revolution necessitate violence? What are the
psychological dimensions of revolution? How does pent-up social frustration transform into
popular revolutionary action? What is the different between resistance and revolution? We will
read theory, fiction, and autobiography to gather perspectives from Europe, Africa and America,
and we will watch films about revolt to gain a better understanding of the influence that
revolution has had in our world. Ultimately, we will ask ourselves what relationship we have to
revolution and whether it is an event that we can anticipate within our own lives.
Course Objectives
In addition to addressing the question of revolution, this course is designed to help you develop
the necessary skills that will help you throughout the remainder of your undergraduate career and
thereafter. If this class is approached seriously, you will become a better thinker, writer,
communicator, and reader. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that you develop the skills necessary
to make your life—both in the university and out of it—a better and more enriching one.
Readings
Ousmane Sembéne, God’s Bits of Wood
Alejo Carpentier, The Kingdom of this World
Assata Shakur, Assata
Richard Wright, ‘The Man Who Lived Underground’
Frantz Fanon, ‘Concerning Violence’
Viewings
The Square
Burma VJ
ISBN: 0435909592
ISBN: 0374530114
ISBN: 1556520743