MEDS 184 - Star Wars: Resistance, Rebellion, and Death in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

In a September 19, 1944 article for the French resistance newspaper, Combat, Albert Camus wrote, “Revolution is not revolt. What carried the Resistance for four years was revolt––the complete, obstinate, and at first nearly blind refusal to accept an order that would bring men to their knees. Revolt begins first in the human heart. But there comes a time when revolt spreads from heart to spirit, when a feeling becomes an idea, when impulse leads to concerted action. This is the moment of revolution.” The theatrical release of Star Wars in 1977 was itself a revolutionary cultural moment––one that invites a closer examination of why and how this franchise has enjoyed such wide-ranging cultural impact and longevity. Together, we examine the rhetoric of conquest and empire, freedom and rebellion in the Star Wars canon by situating the films in a theoretical context at the crossroads of postcolonial studies and media studies. You have the opportunity to design and conduct your own research-based, multimodal writing projects that consider representations of the intersections between Imperialism, revolution, and identity politics on the one hand, and form, rhetoric, and the cultural implications of various Star Wars media objects on the other. Matthew Schultz.

Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

Would you like to see a more just and humane world? The SJQ courses engage you from the very start of your Vassar studies in thinking about the relationship between power and social change. A set of public lectures that address the nature of social justice accompany SJQ courses.

Two 75-minute periods.