War and the Human Condition

3 Credits

How does war shape the human condition? In the present era, Western countries are generally sheltered from war. But this is an anomaly. Most human societies have had to reckon with war and grapple with its effects. Moreover, they have tended to regard this reckoning as important for developing their own way of life. Without that reckoning, their societies might atrophy, ossify, and slide into decadence. The resurgence of concerns about the potential for open warfare between China, Russia, and the United States demonstrates the need to consider war’s effects and the persistent questions its possibility poses for human societies. This discussion-driven course explores war’s effects on the human condition through a variety of disciplines and approaches. To study these effects we draw from philosophy, literature, ancient and modern history, and illustrate these effects through a number of literary sources, including drama, novels, memoirs, and film.