Haunted Universe: Monsters and Demons at the Dawn of Civilization

This seminar explores the relationship between monsters and civilization, considering what exactly it is that monsters do for us; why we create, deploy, and ultimately destroy them; and what they tell us about the peoples among whom they sprang up and roamed. Emphasized is the developing civilization in Mesopotamia, and the place and functioning of monsters and demons in the visual arts and literary contexts, as well as in the worldview, of the early cities of that region. Enrollment limited to 19 first year students.