Literature & Languages
Performing Arts
The Literature of Plague II: 21st-Century Visions of Disease and Death
A Celebration of Soul Music IN PERSON: This lively in-person course will celebrate the classic American soul music of the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond. Without leaving town, we will visit a number of key sites— Chicago, Memphis, Muscle Shoals, Detroit, and Philadelphia—to discover how the music was created and to consider why it became so popular. We will watch performances and listen to songs from some of the genre’s greatest artists and performers, from James Brown to Sam Cooke to Otis Redding to many lesser-known but also great artists. We hope you will gain a richer appreciation of this music, which has proven so resonant over the decades and throughout the world. Students’ opinions are welcomed and encouraged. Dancing is optional. • Lecture + Q&A, Facilitated discussion.
ONLINE: As the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us, mass-scale disease and death have always been part of the history of humanity. However, in the last half century, the apocalyptic imagination has increasingly turned to our shared legacy of plague and contagion to shape narratives that attempt to make sense of the world and the people who inhabit it. To better understand this cultural development, in this online course, students will read four recent novels, all published since 2000, that in different ways imagine a world defined and consumed by some sort of pandemic: Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake (2003), Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven (2014), Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet (2020), and Gary Shteyngart’s Our Country Friends (2021). While some attention will be paid to scientific, historical, and literary contexts, the questions of why and how an ever-growing number of contemporary writers are tackling the theme of plague will underlie class discussions. • Facilitated discussion.
Please note: The songs covered in the course will be included on a playlist on Apple Music. Students who wish to listen to these songs outside of the classroom can subscribe to Apple Music, but a subscription is not required for the course.
Required texts:
Marc Shapiro’s passion for soul music dates from his teenage years when he listened to the local Richmond soul stations and attended many live soul concerts, including James Brown and Otis Redding concerts. His interest in soul music has never waned, and he continues to listen to it, attend concerts, and read about it. He previously taught two OLLI courses on the music of Van Morrison.
• Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake (9780385721677) • Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven (9780804172448) • Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet (9781984898876) • Gary Shteyngart, Our Country Friends (9781984855121)
Sam Jackson is an enthusiastic aficionado of soul and jazz music. Although he has not previously taught a course on soul music, he currently teaches at UNC School of Law and taught for many years at Georgetown University Law Center.
Charles Joseph Del Dotto received his undergraduate education at Princeton University and holds master’s and doctoral degrees in English from Duke University. Since 2014, he has taught approximately 20 courses for OLLI at Duke.
• 10 Wed, Jan 26-Mar 30, 11:00am-12:30pm • In person at Judea Reform Congregation, Durham • Maximum: 30; Fee: $100; Course ID: 3326
• 10 Mon, Jan 24-Mar 28, 9:00-10:15am • Online via Zoom • Maximum: 24; Fee: $100; Course ID: 3364
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