Dr. Vera Zubarev
Winners and Losers in Chess, Literature and Film
RUSS-449-602
CINE-365-602
In Winners and Losers in Chess, Literature and Film, we will explore a concept of decision making elaborated by the late Professor Emeritus of Wharton School, Aron Katsenelinboigen, as applied to a wide range of characters in literature and cinematography, as well as business and life situations. We will examine characters from major Russian and European literary and dramatic works that exploited the topic of decision making and the problem of success and failure. Analysis will be informed by theoretical tools introduced by Kastenelinboigen and further elaborated during our co-teaching and writing. Our investigations will lead ultimately to analytical insight into the question of victory and failure, using major works of the western literary and filmic canon as examples.