WEEK ONE: THE SINS OF THE FATHERS. DAY ONE: I"LL TAKE THAT BLAME FROM YOU Read the first section of Lutheran Letters,linked above,"the Unhappy Young People."(original Italian version is probably online as well) Most people are not that familiar with the Greek tragedies spoken of, so instead, you might consider a relationship like Denethor, Boromir and Faramir; or, like Hamlet and his father in the Shakespeare play. For a one minute intro, listen to Akon's song "Sorry Blame it on Me" BLAME IT ON ME
DAY TWO: GET YOUR IDEOLOGY GAME ON.
It is also important to understand this essay to have some knowledge of European history in the 20th century, since that is the context of the author's life and experiences, and the background for his work and his particular "blame game". Again, some may wonder, what does this have to do with sadness or drugs? In fact, that is the question this course is asking. Participants who are so inclined may immerse themselves in case studies such as "Who Killed Walter Benjamin?" WHO KILLED WALTER BENJAMIN? The key texts of the two dominant ideologies are THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO and MEIN KAMPF,
DAY THREE: ITALIAN COMMUNISM--A UNIQUE BRAND The author was Italian, so today the Italian Communist Antonio Gramsci's PRISON NOTEBOOKS are worth a look. Italian communism, like Italian fascism, has a flavor all its own. SELECTIONS FROM GRAMSCI IN ENGLISH
DAY FOUR: THE AMERICAN WAY Just as the culture of Pasolini had its own take on the angry young man, so did U.S. culture. In fact, there were many takes, just as there are today
Listen to the song "ANGRY YOUNG MAN" by Billy Joel, which came out in 1976, a year after our principal text was published in the paper. THE ANGRY YOUNG MAN Then listen to the classic cult hit "PUMPED UP KICKS" which came out in our times when violence was a more obvious problem, and ironically, was banned all over the place. Learn to sing or play one of these songs if you are musically inclined. Contrast these songs with each other and with The Unhappy Young People.
DAY FIVE: REVIEW MATERIALS
There's always a lot to think about with existential questions and plenty to talk about to, so if you have time, talk this material out with somebody who also has time. Go over any or all of the discussion questions linked above that you missed and over the weekend, do a little investigation of some incident of violence such as the Marathon Bombing and apply these materials to it.
THE SINS OF OUR FATHERS LESSON PLAN, DISCUSSION POINTS, REFLECTION QUESTIONS
