The world turned upside down! This graduate seminar focuses on the carnivalesque as an analytic concept as well as on carnival as social practice in a comparative frame. We read ethnographic and historical studies of diverse junctures where radical play comes together with social change: rituals of social inversion, revolutionary performances, millenarian social movements, charivari, drag balls. Brazil, India, Haiti, England, France, Japan; Nietzsche, Bakhtin, Emma Goldman.
4
UnitsOptional
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeGraduate students only
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeGreat guy, easy to talk to and reach after class, super down to earth, his lectures are a bit boring but the class was pretty easy, just read the main books and you'll be good
Prof Elison is very nice and approachable but he tends to ramble in lecture with no direction or relation to assignments/tests. The class was pretty disorganized but it was not difficult and he gave good projects and assignments. Would take him again just wish he was more structured.
Elison bases his lectures off the readings and he doesn't have a structure with slides. Go to lecture to where he explains concepts. Class was pretty easy and sections were very engaging (w/ TA Emma Hanlon). Everything graded by TA so make sure to participate in class. Thought provoking and very interesting. Hard to fail.
I thought Gandhi class would be mildly interesting, but upon hearing Elison drone on about god knows what killed any interest I had. Lectures were convoluted and had no direction or structure because he would just say whatever with no slides. So many assigned readings and films that we didn't really need. EASY grading, but so boring.
Reading is the core of the class. You need to read and stay on top of the readings to do well in the exams. Quizes are open notes and free A. The final exam is graded by your TA. I thought I did pretty good and got an A+ on the final. Midterm I thought I got an A+ and got an A-. So your entire grade is dependent on your TA. William is coated tho.
i loved this class! one of the easiest GE's that most people don't know about. he makes his lectures interesting, and although not structured, he's very passionate. i barely did any of the assigned readings but as long as you pay attention in class you'll be fine. easily graded midterm, weekly take home quizzes and final on a topic of your choosing