MS 147H PO

In the humanities, Realism has been criticized for impressing upon audiences the illusion that they are watching real life events unfold spontaneously before their eyes - an illusion that takes on a politically conservative role as a vehicle for the circulation of dominant ideological meanings. In the sciences, by contrast, Realism has attracted far more favorable reviews: for example, Einstein writes that "If one renounces this assumption [of Realism]then I do not see what physics is supposed to describe." In this course we will examine the interplay between these two attitudes towards Realism. In particular we will suggest that it is possible to recuperate a politically progressive role for Realism as an aesthetic-representational form. Letter grade only. Prerequisites: MS 049 PO or MS 050 PO or MS 051 PO, or 5C equivalents. [T]