PDF version of this chapterCourses of Instruction
Comparative Literature (COLT)
The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.
150xg Origins of Western Literature and Culture (4, FaSp) Survey of literary and other cultural texts from antiquity through the Renaissance with emphasis on changing conceptions of community and the individual. Not available for major credit.
151xg Modern Western Literature and Culture (4, FaSp) Survey of literary and other cultural texts from the 17th to the 21st centuries, with emphasis on the individual and social change. Not available for major credit.
201 Introduction to Comparative Literature (4) Gateway to the major and minor in comparative literature. Introduction to the study of comparative literature through analysis of works in such genres as the novel, short story, one-act play or lyric poem.
250g Cultures of Latin America (4) Comparative study of Latin American cultures, especially vis-a-vis those of Europe and the U.S. Materials drawn from literature, but also film, opera, history, cultural theory.
262 Masterpieces in East Asian Literature (4) Introduction to the literature of East Asia in translation, principally the literature of Japan and China.
264g Asian Aesthetic and Literary Traditions (4) A comparative study of the Asian aesthetic heritage of poetry, painting, music, and drama; of literary themes, trends, and myths.
301 Junior Seminar in Comparative Literature (4, Fa) Introduction to methods of comparative analysis and interpretation. Works will be studied through various comparative categories that may include genre, period, movements, and interdisciplinary approaches.
310 Spirituality and Literature (4) Cross-cultural study of the literary forms, from ethno-poetic chants to contemporary novels and plays, through which writers have expressed their religious and spiritual beliefs. (Duplicates credit in former COLT 360.)
312 Heroes, Myths and Legends in Literature and the Arts (4) Study of transformations of characters and themes from myth, legend or fairytale (Oedipus, Antigone, Faust, Don Juan, Cinderella, Comic and Tragic Twins, Hero and Monster).
320 Epic and Society in Medieval Europe (4) Reading and analysis of epics from across the European Middle Ages; focus on the cultural functions of heroism.
324 Women in the European Middle Ages (4) Study of the literary, social and cultural lives of women during the European Middle Ages by reading and analyzing texts written by and about women.
330 Lyric Interactions: Poetry, Self and Society (4) Lyric poetry as communicative interaction between individuals and groups in premodern to modern societies, with interdisciplinary approaches from communication theory, cultural history and social psychology.
335 Symbolism and Decadence (4) Study of the late 19th and early 20th century movements in Symbolism and Decadence.
343 The Rise of the Novel, 1500-1800 (4) A survey of influential pre-modern narratives, from picaresque and epistolary designs to psychological, sociomoral, and historicist strategies by Cervantes, Defoe, Fielding, Richardson, Voltaire, Laclos, Goethe.
345 Realist Fiction (4) Study of the ways literature presents the “real” (social and/or individual) through readings of selected novels and short stories in the realist and naturalist traditions.
346 Fictions of the First Person (4) Study of prose fiction in the first person as a model of fiction in general and as a reflection of the fictional structure of selfhood.
348 Modernist Fiction (4) Study of the Modernist aesthetic in narrative texts by Gide, Joyce, Kafka, Woolf and others; possible focus on related trends in other literary traditions.
351 Modern and Contemporary Drama (4) Comparative study of major modern dramatic trends, subgenres, and techniques, through representative works from Strindberg to the Theatre of the Grotesque and the Absurd. (Duplicates credit in former COLT 305.)
357 The Avant-Garde (4, max 8) Study of the relationship between literary modes and other arts since 1900, focusing on particular avant-garde movements.
360 Classical Arabic Literature in Translation (4, Irregular) (Enroll in CLAS 360)
365 Literature and Popular Culture (4) Study of popular culture (e.g., movies, science fiction, detective novel, mass media, the occult, and other popular modes) in European and American literatures. Comparisons with non-Western literatures.
370 Leaders and Communities: Classical Models (4, FaSp) (Enroll in CLAS 370)
372 Women Writers in Asian Literature (4) Examination of feminism’s coming of age in Asia by examining canonical texts by women writers of the 20th century, with special reference to Korea.
374gm Women Writers in Europe and America (4) Introduction to works of major women writers from the Middle Ages to the 20th century in their literary, social, and cultural contexts.
376 Women in Contemporary Literature and the Arts (4) Cross-cultural study of contemporary works by women throughout the world in both literature and the visual arts.
382g Zen and Taoism in Asian Literature (4) Studies of the presence and influence of Zen Buddhism and Taoism in Asian literature, with a focus on China and Japan.
386 20th-Century Yiddish Literature and Film (4) Study of the major Yiddish texts and films and their social function in Jewish cultural life during the 20th century.
388 U.S. Latino Fiction and the Literatures of the Americas (4) Reading and comparative study of narrative fiction by U.S. Latino, Spanish American, and American writers. Spanish majors prepare assignments in Spanish. Conducted in English. Recommended preparation: reading knowledge of Spanish.
390 Special Problems (1-4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
391 Seminar in Literary Criticism (4) Introduction to major critical texts in the Western tradition from the beginnings to the present; particular attention to 20th-century criticism and selected literary texts.
401 Senior Seminar on a Comparative Literary Topic (4) Study of a selected topic employing a comparative perspective on literature.
420 The Fantastic (4) Representative works from the “fantastic” and related currents within the European, U.S., and Spanish American traditions; reading of texts by authors such as Borges, Cortazar, Kafka, and Poe. Discussion of relevant theoretical concepts and critical works.
426 Utopias (4) Examination of selected utopias in their historical context as “no places” whose projections of alternate cultures always comment on their own.
445m Eurocentrism (4) Analysis of European texts, music and art from ancient Greece to the present, demonstrating prevalent cultural biases in European dealings with other cultures.
448 Transcultural Representations (4) Study of fictional texts, chronicles and travel narratives in which authors depict cultures other than their own; reading and discussion of literary and cultural theory.
450 The Middle Ages in Text and Film (4) Comparative study of a broad range of medieval texts and film representations of the Middle Ages focusing on their social functions.
452 Representation and Cognition in Photography (4) Analysis of documentary photo-representation in its historical context through study of the work of selected 20th century documentary photographers and of pertinent critical writings.
454 Aesthetic Philosophy and Theory (4) Introduction to philosophical and critical writings on the nature of art and aesthetic experience. Special attention to technology’s impact on art.
460 Love, Self and Gender in Japanese Literature (4) (Enroll in EALC 460)
472 Criminal Fictions (4) Selected works of crime fiction from European, U.S., and Spanish American traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries by authors such as Borges, Chandler, Chesterton, Christie, Puig, Robbe-Grillet, and Vargas Llosa. Discussion of relevant theoretical concepts and critical works.
475 Politics and the Novel (4) Examination of the modern realist novel with special focus on the representation of social change (revolution, class conflict, sexual politics).
480 Dada and Surrealism (4) A comparative study of Dada and Surrealism in literature in relation to painting, sculpture, photography and cinema.
485 The Shoah (Holocaust) in Literature and the Arts (4) A critical analysis, in their historical contexts, of representative literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works created by or about the victims of the Shoah (Holocaust).
490x Directed Research (2-8, max 8) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit. Prerequisite: departmental approval.
495 Senior Honors Thesis (4) Writing of an honors thesis under individual faculty supervision.
499 Special Topics (2-4, max 8) Intensive study of selected author or authors in the context of a major literary tradition.
502 Introduction to Literary Theory (4) Major developments in 20th-century literary criticism, with special attention to theoretical work of the past three decades.
524 Topics in Classical to Early Modern Literature (4, max 12) Literary currents from classical antiquity through to the 17th century. Varying focus on specific genres, periods, movements, or problematics.
526 Topics in Modern Literature (4, max 12) Literary currents from the 19th century to the present. Varying focus on specific genres, periods, movements, or problematics. Views of the modern in different cultural contexts.
541 Seminar in Drama (4, max 12) Problems in dramatic theory, in the history of the drama, and in comparative analysis of dramatic forms, techniques, and themes.
542 Seminar in Poetry (4, max 12) History and theory of poetic genres, communicative contexts, periods and movements. Possible focus on epic, lyric, orality, literacy, visual media, modernism, postmodernism translation.
543 Seminar in Prose (4, max 12) Readings of prose texts from various genres. Possible focus on narrative fiction, the essay, travel writing, chronicles, autobiography, or testimonial literature.
555 Studies in Literatures of the Americas (4, max 8) Comparative study of literary currents in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
565 Studies in Literatures of East Asia (4) Advanced study of major cultural paradigms and their divergent influences in East Asian literature.
575 Studies in Literature and Ethnicity (4, max 8) Study of literary expression in different cultural, racial, or religious communities. Possible focus on African, Asian, Hispanic, or Jewish themes across several national traditions.
585 Studies in Literature and Gender (4, max 8) Emphasis on gender difference and sexual difference as signifying categories for literary works, criticism, or theory.
590 Directed Research (1-12) Research leading to the master’s degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
600 Topics in Comparative Literary Analysis (4, max 12) Intensive study of fictional or poetic language, with emphasis on techniques of literary analysis.
601 Professional Development I: Applying for Positions (2, Fa) Familiarizes students with the process of seeking an academic position, from assembling a dossier to interviews and on-campus visits. Open to graduate students only. Graded CR/NC. Prerequisite: admission to candidacy.
602 Topics in Literary Criticism and Theory (4, max 12) Intensive study of a theoretical tradition or critical movement, or of an individual topic or thinker, in literary criticism or theory. May be repeated for credit.
603 Professional Development II: Publication (2, Sp) Preparation of book and article manuscripts for publication and placement in presses and journals; revising dissertations for publication; preparing papers for conferences. Students produce an article manuscript ready for submission to a journal. Open to graduate students only. Graded CR/NC. Prerequisite: completion of Special Field Exam.
620 Seminar in Literature and Social Thought (4, max 12) Inquiry into relationships among literature, social and political ideologies, principles of political systems, and social or intellectual theory.
640 Seminar in Literature and Visual Culture (4, max 12) Topics in reciprocal relation of visual arts and theory to narratology, semiotics, psychoanalysis, and other areas.
660 Seminar in Literature and Psychoanalysis (4, max 12) Problems in the psychoanalytic study of literature and culture, or in the literature and culture of psychoanalysis.
680 Seminar in Literature and Philosophy (4, max 12) Emphasis on questions raised when literature confronts philosophical discourses: aesthetics, philosophy of law, ethics, philosophy of language, political philosophy, and others.
790 Research (1-12) Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0) Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.