REFLECTIVE SEMINAR in Fall 2020 (RS0001FB2B)

What does it mean to be a hero in 2020? What does it mean to be a villain? When does a hero become a villain, and vice versa? In Fall 2019, the sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg crossed the Atlantic in an emission-free sailboat, to address a climate summit at the United Nations, lauded by environmental activists worldwide and described as a "heroine" by some sections of the media. More conservative voices see her as a villain who spreads fear, despair, and panic. In many circles, whistleblower Edward Snowden has been described as a "villain", for the privacy and data protection movement, he is clearly a hero. Yet more controversial figures like Julian Assange where once generally regarded as heroes but have since turned evil. This FirstBridge course, using the approaches of the disciplines of Psychology and Comparative Literature, will interrogate representations of heroic and villainous archetypes from history and fictional works from the Classical era to the present day. We will think hard about superheroes and upervillains, Superman and Wonder Woman, saints and serial killers, broken characters and psychopaths. We will read, discuss and analyze TV series and films, essays and comic books, theory and clinical research. Students will think analytically and creatively, write research essays and have the opportunity to explore Hero-Villain phenomenon using digital media.