Under construction!
Selling Your Soul:
Goethe’s Faust and the Modern World
Freshman Seminar — FYS 129 (section #042) — Fall 2007
Classes: 3:40–4:55 Thursdays in HSS 62 (see Schedule [forthcoming] for exact meeting days)
Instructor:
Bruce MacLennan, PhD
Phone: 974-5067
Office: Claxton Complex 217
Office Hours: 1:00–2:00 T & Th, or make an
appointment
Email: maclennan@utk.edu
Contents
Description
The focus of this seminar is Goethe’s epic drama Faust,
which occupied him for more than 60 years. Faust, who sacrifices
his soul for money, power, sex, and other benefits, is often
interpreted as a symbol of modern industry, technology, and economy,
which use knowledge to dominate nature for the sake of humankind, but
the drama, especially the enigmatic Part II, also depicts Faust’s
evolving relationship with both nature and the feminine, and thus
suggests a less exploitive and more ecological orientation for science
and technology. In this seminar we will read selections from
Goethe’s Faust and weave around them a critical dialogue about our relationship to nature, science, and technology, now and in the future.
Text
Goethe, Faust (Parts I & II), tr. Arndt, 2nd ed., Norton
Critical Edition, 2000. ISBN: 0393972828. (You can use
another translation of Faust if you want, but make sure it includes Part II as well as Part I!)
Interesting Links
- Goethe in General:
- Goethe’s Faust:
- The Renaissance Magus:
- Goethe’s Philosophy of Science:
Return to MacLennan’s home page
Send mail to Bruce MacLennan / MacLennan@utk.edu
This page is www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/Classes/FYS129/index.html
Last updated: 2007-05-01.
