EGMT 1540: What makes a hero?

All societies create heroes, but what do those heroes tell us about those societies? To what extent can a single person’s actions or character affect a society either for the better or for the worse? Is self-sacrifice for the good of others worthwhile if a society’s trajectory is on a downward spiral (morally, politically or religiously), or should self-preservation be the preferred aim in such circumstances? Are ethically justifiable decisions always in harmony with a society’s traditional customs or official laws? Is it always good to be good? A defining characteristic of our species is the capacity to discriminate between the Good and the Evil, and the conscious choice between the two represents the elementary building block in nearly all hero narratives. The course will explore a variety of such choices made by individuals in different cultures and different historical periods and circumstances in order to acquire a clearer understanding of the concepts of hero (by choice or by circumstance), and anti-hero.