You are here

GERMAN 390 A: Germanic Studies In English

Sympathy for the Devil: The Rhetoric of Compassion

Meeting Time: 
MWF 11:30am - 12:20pm
SMI 205
Ellwood Wiggins

Additional Details:


Is compassion the foundation of human morality or a dangerously unreliable emotion? This course examines the strategies and motivations in different media of fostering empathy for commonly held enemies or discriminated groups. The syllabus runs from Ancient Greece to depictions of Nazis and terrorists in modern film, and considers philosophical assessments of sympathy (positive and negative) alongside examples of its aesthetic manufacture. In each case, the literary text or film will serve as an experimental field to test out the philosophers’ concepts and claims about the moral efficacy of compassion. We will look into the ethical implications of using dramatic compassion to further laudable social agendas of toleration. This line of questioning reveals the discomforting unity of pity as a device in portrayals, for instance, of both Nazis and their victims: Is it possible for art works to persuade bigots to accept minorities and outcasts? Is it right for a film to invite sympathy for a monster like Hitler or a public menace like suicide bombers? It is vital to understand the action of sympathy before we assign it such momentous tasks as guiding our moral vision and encouraging a more tolerant society. 

Catalog Description: 
Topics or figures of German literature or language.
GE Requirements: 
Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts (VLPA)
Other Requirements Met: 
Last updated: 
April 28, 2016 - 3:21pm