Literature of Capitalism, New York University (Stern)

The animating core of this course is capitalism – a descriptive term that has become incendiary in many parts of the world, and at the moment, in America. The class does not take a position, instead relying on literature, both fiction and non-fiction, to raise many different views presented in many different ways with the intent of providing the students with not only a deep perspective, but intellectual traction for further study and their own conclusions. In content, the course intertwines history, economic ideas, and literature to examine two related questions that underpin the discussion of capitalism, and of healthy societies: what enables success and at what cost does success come. There will be weekly reading (or in one case watching) assignments that are introduced, roughly, in chronological order. These are extensive and students would be wise to begin prior to the start of school, particularly Atlas Shrugged, which is an easy read but very long. As the course progresses, it will be apparent that the presentation styles evolve – an important element by itself in the study of literature - but the two questions persist. They propel the narratives and reveal tensions that are at the core of issues that individuals and societies struggle to resolve. A beneficial consequence of the material is that it collectively provides a historical overview helpful in understanding many jarring recent events, including the global financial crisis and its unresolved, fractious, aftermath, along with much of the current political debate about the role of companies and the state. This information has been collected for the Post-Discipline Online Syllabus Database. The database explores the use of literature by schools of professional education in North America. It forms part of a larger project titled Post-Discipline: Literature, Professionalism, and the Crisis of the Humanities, led by Dr Merve Emre with the assistance of Dr Hayley G. Toth. You can find more information about the project at https://postdiscipline.english.ox.ac.uk/. Data was collected and accurate in 2021/22.