Instructor: Stuart Parker, PhD, Los Altos Institute
The Big Lebowski rose rapidly to cult status following its initial anemic box office release. In the ensuing quarter century, it has spawned festivals, conventions, kitsch, memorabilia and frequent repertory cinema screenings. Like Monty Python, a generation before, it produced a series of aphorisms in the form of film dialogue and references inserted by fans into regular conversations, both as on-point metaphor and non-sequiturs. Strongly appealing to those with an anti-authoritarian mindset, Lebowski fandom and analysis has shifted in response to the socio-political realignment of the Global North, Big Lebowski quotations literally migrating across the political spectrum from the now-defunct populist left to the anti-authoritarian right.
This course will engage with the Big Lebowski both as a work of art and as a cultural phenomenon, as well as providing historical and cultural context for the film’s many scenes and references to late Cold War, 1960s and Antebellum America.
Difficulty Level
Unlike some Los Altos courses, this course presumes no prior knowledge of American history, culture or cinema. In fact, it is partly designed to offer an introductory course in the history of California.
Modularity
Like other Stuart Parker courses, Thirteen Lectures on the Big Lebowski is modular rather than incremental in character. Each class can be consumed as a stand-alone lecture/seminar.
Format and Cost
The course, comprising thirteen sixty to ninety-minute classes, has a total cost of $150 US (an increase from $150 Canadian, at which registration costs were frozen 2020-24). Individual classes can also be purchased at $12.50 each.
Texts
The instructor will provide a copy of the Big Lebowski to all students. In addition, a small number of readings will be circulated by PDF or hyperlink, such as the Tao Te Ching.
Course Schedule
A meeting time will be mutually set by the instructor and students after course registrations are received. If you register but the course is at a time of day that does not work for you, your registration fee will be refunded in full.
| Date | Class |
| January 13th, 2025 | The Big Lebowski and its position in popular culture |
| January 15th, 2025 | “He’s the man for his time and place:” the time and place of the first Iraq War |
| January 20th, 2025 | “I’m a Brother Seamus:” the hard-boiled detective story and its tropes |
| January 22nd, 2025 | “Far from it, dude:” the Gold Rush to the Reagan Revolution: the history of American California |
| January 27th, 2025 | “Some kind of Eastern thing:” Daisetz Suzuki and the creolization of Asian religion |
| January 29th, 2025 | “Am I the only one who gives a shit about the rules:” Walter Sobchak and modern Jewish proselytism and Zionism |
| February 3rd, 2025 | “Do you give up your library card:” Walter Sobchak as Pole, soldier and patriot: the politics of identity |
| February 5th, 2025 | “That must be exhausting:” nihilism and themes of non-belief in the Big Lebowski |
| February 10th, 2025 | Autobahn, Credence, the “cycle” and the vaginal art: music and the arts in the Big Lebowski |
| February 12th, 2025 | “I went out and achieved anyway:” the Big Lebowski vs. Horatio Alger |
| February 17th, 2025 | “That was me… and six other guys:” Port Huron versus Saigon: dueling memories of the 1960s |
| February 19th, 2025 | “What makes a man:” gender and sexuality in the Big Lebowski |
| February 24th, 2025 | “Cuz what’s a hero:” Jeff Lebowski as Daoist master: heroism outside Judeo-Christian ethics |
