College Seminar 280 (04)

Self and God

Fall 2004

Prof. Kobets

 

FINAL PAPER TOPICS

You may choose a topic from the list below, you may redefine the topics in any way that will help you to produce a unified paper, or you may choose your own topic. If you choose your own topic, I urge you to discuss that topic with me so that we can agree on its workability. We will discuss before the due date the paper`s format and the criteria of successful paper-writing. Choose your topic before November 17. Your final paper will be due in class on Wednesday, December 8 (If you want my feedback before you take your final exam, though, be sure to hand it in sooner rather than later). Do not forget to send me a rough draft, email me with questions, or come to see me (by appointment or during my office hours) if you would like help. Your paper should be about 5-6 pages long. Make a cover sheet / header with your name. Do not forget to number your pages.

An electronic copy of your paper should be sent to me either as an MS word attachment (this format is preferred) or in the body of the message.

 

NOTE: Some of these topics involve several authors. Do not consider yourself bound to discuss them all. Depending on your thesis, the attempt to bring all the authors in might lead to superficiality or incoherence.

 

1. Zosima was Aliosha`s teacher, and if anything preserved his faith it was this teacher. Select the theme of teacher from several of the works we have read and weave it together with the themes of God and of the individual.

 

2. Why does the existence of evil cause us problems? What concepts of good and evil do you find in the texts we have discussed in this class? How do you resolve this problem?

 

3. What is human nature? Can you fight it? Where does it come from? What do our authors have to say about it?

 

4. Aliosha is presented with two perspectives on God`s involvement in the human predicament--Ivan`s and Zosima`s. What are their respective positions on the nature of suffering and God`s relation to it? How does Aliosha come to terms with Zosima`s death and how does he reconcile himself to suffering? What do you make of that reconciliation (in other words, where do you stand), and why?

 

5. "Writing fiction is a better way of telling the truth than any other kind of writing." Evaluate this statement, using one literary text and one non-literary text from our reading thing semester.

 

6. Asceticism and cultivation of the self.