LIT 160T: Reading Torture
University of California, Santa Cruz
Course grapples with the ethical, political, aesthetic, racial, and cultural implications of torture. While the course analysis is grounded in looking at torture as practice—as a brutal manifestation of American nation- and empire-building—students will think conceptually about torture and pain. Materials draw heavily on writing from the U.S., but adopt global perspectives. The course is structured to begin with a theoretical introduction to the concept of torture before working through some historical examples, understanding how to “read” and interpret torture as represented in cultural production (literature, art, film), and finally devoting the last few weeks to our contemporary era and the so-called “war on terror.” The class works to uncover the underlying logic of torture that links histories of racism and war to its institutionalized present. Distribution requirement: Global.
Average GPA: 3.15
Grade distribution records: 32 students across 1 terms.
Grade distribution
| Grade | Students | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 1 | 3.1% |
| A | 5 | 15.6% |
| A- | 8 | 25.0% |
| B+ | 6 | 18.8% |
| B | 2 | 6.3% |
| B- | 2 | 6.3% |
| C+ | 1 | 3.1% |
| D | 1 | 3.1% |
| F | 2 | 6.3% |
| P | 2 | 6.3% |
| W | 1 | 3.1% |
Based on 32 student grade records across 1 term and 2 professors.
Instructors
- Juan E Poblete 32 students, Average GPA 3.15
- Talib Ali Jabbar 32 students, Average GPA 3.15