HIST-LIT 90EJ: Espionage: A Cultural History

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Thank you for your interest in HL90EJ: Espionage! Interested students should petition to enroll on my.harvard. In your petition, say a few words about your interest in the course (including concentrations you are considering if you are undeclared), any requirement the course may satisfy, and whether you have taken any other History & Literature seminars. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Preference will be given to first-years and sophomores. Petitions submitted by April 10 will receive a response on April 11, and students approved to enroll need to complete the registration process by April 12 so that space can be made available to other students.  

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Thursdays: 03:45pm-5:45pm

Instructor: Duncan White

Location: TBD

Email duncanwhite@fas.harvard.edu

Office hours: TBD (by appointment)

 

Course Description

Over the course of the twentieth century the spy thriller became a central part of our culture, changing the way people imagined how the state operates in secret. Why are we attracted to stories of paranoia and conspiracy? What is the history of this genre, and how is it intertwined with the history of espionage? Does espionage fiction glamorize the work of spy agencies? Or help challenge it? The course is divided into four units. The first will consider the origins of the spy thriller and how the obsession with espionage fiction was connected to empire. The second unit shifts its focus to how the spy genre developed from the Second World War into the Cold War and will explore the different visions of espionage offered by the glamor of James Bond and the "insider" fiction of  John le Carré. The third unit focuses on the way the CIA has been represented on page and screen, and the relationship of these fictions to the actual operations of the agency, including political subversion, covert action, and targeted assassinations. In doing so we will also consider how writers like Graham Greene, Lauren Wilkinson, and Mohsin Hamid have challenged the conventions of the spy thriller genre. In the final unit we will explore the role of espionage in the "War on Terror," and consider the way espionage fiction, including Homeland and Zero Dark Thirty grappled with ethical questions surrounding spying, terrorism, and torture.

 

Course Policies

Attendance, participation, and class culture: Attendance is required and students are expected to arrive punctually. Our class will be a space for intellectual conversation, debate, and questioning, so your active participation and engagement with the material is imperative. If you are quieter by nature, please speak with me so we can discuss strategies for your participation. For the duration of class, please make sure to close any apps that might prove distracting and to mute notifications on messages and emails.

Pronouns: Personal pronouns will be respected by everyone in class. I will default to the pronouns you have selected on my.harvard, but if you have other preferences please let me know. Please address your fellow students directly by name or “you” when responding to a point made by your classmates, with whom you are in conversation during our discussions.

Subject material: Our subject matter can be divisive and offensive and is certainly worthy of scrutiny and critique. However, I encourage you to approach the material as an important (if often difficult) part of history and culture, meant to spark lively discussion about its past and its present significance. I ask you to note that the film Zero Dark Thirty depicts scenes of torture. You are welcome to come speak with me if you have any concerns. 

Readings: Most of our readings will be available as PDFs through the course site but please make sure to purchase any other required materials as soon as possible to avoid delays in getting hold of readings. When discussing readings in class please print out and bring hard copies of PDFs when possible.

Email and Canvas: I will sometimes provide email updates about readings, assignments, and other course matters. While I am always happy to talk outside of class, you are also welcome to email me with any questions. I try to respond to all emails within a 48-hour period; please read and respond to your email regularly. Please also check the course Canvas site frequently for any changes to the readings and assignments

Deadlines and extensions: Everyone will start with 3 "grace days" to be used at your discretion. You need not ask for an extension, but rather use these days as necessary. The only exception is the final assignment, for which there will be no extensions unless there are extenuating circumstances. Your 3 days may be used in any permutation (e.g. 1 day on the first, 2 days for the second), but once you have used all three, no more will be granted, so plan accordingly. After all days are used, papers will be deducted a step for each late day (an A becomes an A–, etc.).

Accommodations: Harvard University values inclusive excellence and providing equal educational opportunities for all students. Our goal is to remove barriers for disabled students related to inaccessible elements of instruction or design in this course. If reasonable accommodations are necessary to provide access, please contact the Disability Access Office (DAO). Accommodations do not alter fundamental requirements of the course and are not retroactive. Students should request accommodations as early as possible, since they may take time to implement. Students should notify DAO at any time during the semester if adjustments to their communicated accommodation plan are needed.

Collaboration, Plagiarism, and Generative AI: Collaboration is welcome and encouraged within the seminar format of our class. You may find it helpful to consult with your peers about readings or paper ideas, and our class will also provide opportunities to work collaboratively on presentations and peer editing. However, all written work submitted for evaluation should be the product of your own thought, research, and writing. Accordingly, you must properly cite any engagement with other authors. In accordance with the Honor Code, plagiarism is a serious offense and must be reported to the Honor Council. If you are unsure of what constitutes plagiarism, please be sure to consult the Harvard Guide to Using Sources, or come speak with me during office hours.

All work students submit for this course will be their own.  The use of ChatGPT or any other generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are forbidden at all stages of the work process, including preliminary ones. Violations of this policy will be considered academic misconduct. I want to draw your attention to the fact that different classes at Harvard could implement different AI policies, and it is the student’s responsibility to conform to expectations for each course. 

Required Books

  • Rudyard Kipling, Kim (1901) (Norton recommended)
  • Ian Fleming, Casino Royale (1953)
  • Graham Greene, The Quiet American (1955)
  • John le Carré, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1963)
  • Lauren Wilkinson, American Spy (2019)
  • Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007)

Films and TV

  • All films should be available to watch through Canvas via the Library Reserves tab.
  • You are responsible for sourcing the TV shows (Homeland and The Americans) which are available on streaming platforms or at the library.

Assignments and Grading

Participation (25%): This is a seminar class so contributing to discussions and debates is essential. Please be prepared to contribute to every class. If you find the prospect of this challenging for any reason please come and see me in office hours so that we can talk through strategies to employ.

Essays One and Two (20% each): Details of these are found on the assignments page. Both are 4-6 pages. These will be given letter grades.

Weekly Responses (5%): Every week you will be expected to identify a passage/scene in the weekly readings that is of especial interest and to come prepared with two discussion questions. This assignment is graded Complete/Incomplete.

Final Paper (30%): Please see the assignments page for details. This will receive a letter grade. 

 

Schedule

Unit 1: Inventing the Spy

Week 1: Sep 5: Spy Games

Week 2: Sep 12: Espionage and Empire

Week 3: Sep 19: The Femme Fatale

 

Unit 2: Spy Typology

Week 4: Sep 26: The Amateur

Week 5: Oct 3: The Hero

Week 6: Oct 10: The Professional

Week 7: Oct 17: Covert Action

Week 8: Oct 24: Assassination

Week 9: Nov 7: Enemies Within

  • Lauren Wilkinson, American Spy (2019)
  • FBI files TBD.


Week 10: Undercover Americans

  • The Americans, Season 1, Ep 1-3 (2013).
  • Secondary source TBD

Unit 4: The War on Terror

Week 11: Nov 14: Terror and Paranoia

Week 12: Nov 21: Complicity

Week 13: Nov 28: NO CLASS (THANKSGIVING)

Week 14: Dec 5: Terror and Torture

  • Zero Dark Thirty, dir. Kathryn Bigelow (2012)
  •  Download Excerptfrom Report of the Senate Select Committee, Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program, Dec 9, 2014

Course Summary:

Date Details Due