Being, Seeming, Performance, and Media

What does it mean "to be, not to seem to be" in a time of increasingly convincing illusions, social media, AI, deep fakes, and virtual reality? Inspired by the Berklee motto, Esse quam videri, this course gives students the opportunity to focus and reflect upon the differences between seeming and being, and respond creatively to thinking deeply about existence, self, and image. Organized around three interrelated themes: seeming vs. being; performance on stage and in everyday life; and the power of images and illusion in contemporary culture, the seminar requires students to consider real world issues by exploring some great works of philosophy, literature, and psychology in depth and in the context of performance studies. The course includes the reading and discussion of entire works and excerpts of Plato's Republic, Machiavelli's The Prince, Wu Cheng'en’s Journey to the West, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Cervantes' Don Quixote, Nella Larsen’s Passing, and Madeline Miller’s “Galatea” as well as screening dance pieces such as Pina Bausch’s Café Müller and Bill T. Jones’ Ghostcatching, films The Truman Show and Parasite, and transmedial interpretations of Monkey, Hamlet, Don Quixote, and Galatea across media forms. Originally funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities Enduring Questions grant, LHUM-410 is a unique opportunity for serious seminar-style exploration of a foundational issue in human thought through projects combining creative and critical work.