Director of Undergraduate Studies: David Bevington, G-B 510, 702-9899

Departmental Office and Secretary: JoAnn Baum, Cl 44, 702-8486

The major in Comparative Literature leads to a B.A. degree. This program is designed to attract students who wish to pursue an interdisciplinary plan of course work focused on the study of literature as written in various languages and in various parts of the world.

Such a student might come to the University with a strong background in languages other than English and want to work in two or more literatures (one of which can be English). Another student might have a strong interest in literary study and wish to address general, generic, and/or transnational questions that go beyond the boundaries of national literature offered by English and other literature departments. Or, a student might wish to pursue an in-depth study of the interrelationship of literature and culture, as well as issues that transcend the traditional demarcations of national literary history and area studies.

These descriptions of academic interest are not mutually exclusive. Each student will design a plan of course work that will suit his or her individual goals and that will take advantage of the rich offerings of this university.

Program Requirements

The aim of the following guidelines is to help students develop a balanced and coherent plan of study. The Director of Undergraduate Studies in Comparative Literature is available to discuss these guidelines with students who are interested in comparative literature.

(1) In addition to the thirteen courses counted toward the major, students must complete a second-year sequence in a language other than English or demonstrate language ability of an equivalent skill. Students should have completed this requirement, or be well on their way to its completion, by the time they apply to the program, normally the end of their second year. See "Participation in the Program" below for further details.

(2) Six courses in a primary field, or in closely integrated subject areas in more than one field, are required.

(3) Four courses in a secondary field, or in closely integrated subject areas in more than one field, are required.

(4) Two courses that emphasize critical and intellectual methods in comparative literature are required, one of which must be an introduction to the study of comparative literature. See, for example, CMLT 25100 and 25900 below under "Courses."

(5) One directed study course must be devoted to the preparation of the B.A. project (CMLT 29900). The project will be supervised by a faculty member of the student's choice, with that faculty member's consent and the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies; that faculty member may be, but need not be, on the faculty of Comparative Literature. A graduate student in Comparative Literature will serve as a tutor or preceptor for all B.A. projects, working with students on the mechanics of writing and providing tutorial assistance.

This program may accept a B.A. paper or project used to satisfy the same requirement in another major if certain conditions are met and with the consent of the other program chair. Approval from both program chairs is required. Students should consult with the chairs by the earliest B.A. proposal deadline (or by the end of third year, when neither program publishes a deadline). A consent form, to be signed by both chairs, is available from the College adviser. It must be completed and returned to the College adviser by the end of Autumn Quarter of the student's year of graduation.

Summary of Requirements

6 primary field courses

4 secondary field courses

2 critical/intellectual methods courses

1 B.A. project (CMLT 29900)

The department encourages students to pursue further language study. Courses in a second or third language will be approved for use in the major only if they are at an intermediate or advanced level.

Additional courses in critical/intellectual methods may be counted toward the six courses in the primary field or toward four courses in the secondary field if their materials are appropriate for those purposes, but the total number of courses presented for the major must total thirteen.

A typical student wishing to work in two literatures (one of which can be English) might choose two literatures as the primary and secondary fields. A student interested in literary study across national boundaries with a focus on generic and transnational questions might create a primary field along generic lines (e.g., film, the epic, the novel, poetry, drama, opera); the secondary field might be a particular national literature or a portion of such a literature. A student interested in literary and cultural theory might choose theory as either a primary or secondary field, paired with another field designed along generic lines or those of one or more national literatures.

Courses in the various literature departments and in Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities are obviously germane to the building of any individual program. A student is likely to find courses in the Humanities Collegiate Division and in the Department of History that extend beyond the usual definitions of literature (e.g., film, art, music, history) to be appropriate to her or his individual program of study. Study abroad offers an attractive means of fulfilling various aims of this program as well.

Participation in the Program. Students should express their interest in the major as soon as possible, normally before the end of their second year. The first step is to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to consult about a program of study. Thereafter, students are required to submit a written proposal of about one thousand words in length that consists of two parts: (1) a statement explaining how the proposed plan of study will take advantage of existing College offerings and meet departmental requirements; and (2) a list of proposed courses (as well as alternates) and indications of how they will fulfill the department's requirements. Applicants must also submit a list of completed courses and a list of courses in which they are currently registered. Special mention should be made of language courses or other language training that affirms a student's level of language proficiency. Each proposal will be evaluated on the basis of the interest of the student and his or her achievement in the languages needed to meet the goals of the intended course of study.

Comparative Literature majors should demonstrate proficiency in a literary language (other than English) that is relevant to their proposed course of study (as indicated in requirement number one above). This requirement must be met at the time of application or shortly thereafter. Such proficiency is measured by the completion of a second-year sequence in the language, or by demonstration of an equivalent skill. By the time of graduation, students should also achieve the level of language study needed to obtain an Advanced Language Proficiency Certificate from the College. This requirement is intended to underscore the program's commitment to the study of languages, and to encourage and facilitate study abroad as a part of the course of study. Language ability is essential to work in comparative literature of whatever sort. The Department of Comparative Literature takes language preparation into consideration when evaluating applications, but it will also help students achieve their individual goals by suggesting programs of study that will add to their language expertise as appropriate.

B.A. Project. One obvious choice for a B.A. project is a substantial essay in comparative literary study. This option should not, however, rule out other possibilities. Two examples might be a translation from a foreign literature with accompanying commentary, or a written project based on research done abroad in another language and culture relating to comparative interests. Students are urged to base their project on comparative concepts, and to make use of the language proficiency that they will develop as they meet the program's requirements.

Grading. All courses to be used in the major must be taken for a quality grade, which must be a B- or higher.

Honors. To be eligible for honors in Comparative Literature, students must earn an overall cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher, and a GPA of 3.5 or higher in the major. They must also complete a B.A. essay or project that is judged exceptional in intellectual and/or creative merit by the first and second readers.

Advising. In addition to their College adviser, students should consult on an ongoing basis with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Comparative Literature. Further advice and counseling will be available from the preceptor for the program and from the faculty member who supervises the student's B.A. project.

Faculty

D. Bevington, A. Davidson, F. de Armas, L. Kruger, F. Meltzer, G. Most, M. Murrin, N. Tinsley,
T. J. Pavel, L. Rothfield, J. Scodel, Y. Tsivian, R. von Hallberg, D. Wellbery, D. Wray, A. Yu

Courses: Comparative Literature (cmlt)

20500/30500. History and Theory of Drama I. (=ANST 21200, CLAS 31200, CLCV 21200, ENGL 13800/31000, ISHU 24200/34200) May be taken in sequence with CMLT 20600/30600 or individually. For course description, see English Language and Literature. End-of-week workshops, in which individual scenes are read aloud dramatically and discussed, are optional but highly recommended. D. Bevington, D. N. Rudall. Autumn.

20600/30600. History and Theory of Drama II. (=ENGL 13900/31100, ISHU 24300/34300) May be taken in sequence with CMLT 20500/30500 or individually. For course description, see English Language and Literature. D. Bevington, D. N. Rudall. Winter.

20900/30900. Narrative in Fiction and History. (=HIST 23701/33701, ISHU 24701/34701, RUSS 24700/34700) Class discussion encouraged. R. Bird. Spring, 2005.

21100. "The Literature of Destruction": Narratives of Apocalypse in Modern Jewish and Russian Literary Traditions. (=HUMA 25502, JWSC 22900, RUSS 22900) The Holocaust of European Jewry in World War II and the construction of the totalitarian Gulag system in the Soviet Union invite comparative analysis. In this course, literary responses to the Holocaust and the Gulag are studied in the context of Russian and Jewish apocalyptic literary traditions, which linked national catastrophes with the end of time. Considering the sacred significance that both Russian and Jewish civilizations ascribe to the literary Word, as well as the place which the written responses to catastrophes hold in the two traditions, this course analyzes the central features of Russian and Jewish texts of destruction by reading biblical texts, excerpts from old Russian epics, and major works of modern Russian and Jewish prose and poetry. Texts in English and the original. M.Grinberg. Winter.

21200. Marxism and Modernism. (=HUMA 23201, ISHU 23201/33201, RUSS 23200/33200) For course description, see Slavic Languages and Literatures (Russian). R. Bird. Spring, 2006.

21600. Comparative Fairy Tale: The Brothers Grimm, H. C. Anderson, and Asbjørnsen and Moe. (=GRMN 28500, HUMA 28400, NORW 28500, SCAN 28500) For course description, see Germanic Studies (Norwegian). K. Kenny. Winter.

22100. Narratives of Suspense in European and Russian Literature and Cinema. (=CMST 25102/35102, HUMA 26901/36901, ISHU 26901/36901, SLAV 26900/36900) For course description, see Slavic Languages and Literatures (General Slavic). R. Bird. Winter, 2006.

22300/32300. Innocence and Insight in the Novel: F. M. Dostoevsky and Henry James. (=ENGL 22806/43502, ISHU 27502/37502, RLIT 30401, RLST 28700, RUSS 27501/37501) For course description, see Slavic Languages and Literatures (Russian). L. Steiner. Autumn, 2004.

22600/32600. Napoleon's Russian Campaign Through the Eyes of Russian and French Writers and Historians. (=HIST 23902/33902, RUSS 25901/35901) Knowledge of Russian and/or French helpful but not required. For course description, see Slavic Languages and Literatures (Russian). L. Steiner. Spring, 2005.

22700. Expressionist Poetry in the European Avant-Garde. (=MAPH 34114) PQ: Reading knowledge of German helpful but not required. The poetry of expressionism is characterized by moral pathos, visionary dreams, and an unfettered lyric intensity. In the midst of the modernist revolutions in the arts that swept Europe between 1909 and 1925, the expressionists dreamed of forging a new society by means of a new art. Their poems were shaped and in turn inspired avant-garde literary movements throughout Europe. We compare the complex language of Expressionist poems with the programmatic manifestos and poetic works of the Italian futurist and international dada movements. A. Bosse. Winter.

22900/42900. Cinema in Africa. (=AFAM 21900, CMST 24201/34201, ENGL 27600/48601) PQ: At least one college-level course in either African studies or film studies. For course description, see English Language and Literature. L. Kruger. Spring, 2005.

23000. Caribbean Literature: Rewriting Colonial Fictions. (=ENGL 22802, GNDR 23301) Reading comparatively between the texts and their sources, we explore how authors transform plots, characters, imagery, and language to transpose colonial fictions to new historic, geographic, and linguistic topoi. Authors considered include Shakespeare and Aimé Césaire, Daniel Defoe and Derek Walcott, Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys, and Emily Bronte and Maryse Condé. All texts in English but those with knowledge of French encouraged to read in the original. N. Tinsley. Autumn.

24100. The Epistolary Novel in Europe, 1740-1840. (=ENGL 19501, GNDR 24101) This course examines the European novel of letters during its heyday from the 1740s through its decline in the 1840s. We concentrate on how epistolary novels provide unique access to the modern sexual self as expressed in marriage, adultery, homosexuality, and incest. Novels include Richardson's Pamela (1741), Cleland's Fanny Hill (1748-49), Goethe's Werther (1774), Laclos' Dangerous Liaisons (1782), Brown's, The Power of Sympathy (1789), Owenson's The Wild Irish Girl (1806), and Shelley's Frankenstein (1818), as well as E. T. A. Hoffmann's "The Sandman" (1816), excerpts from Walter Scott's Redgauntlet (1824), Edgar Allan Poe's "The Purloined Letter" (1844-45), and Thomas de Quincey's "The English Mail Coach" (1849). Texts in English and the original. R. Schiffman. Winter.

25100/35100. Whitman and His Successors. (=ENGL 26701/46701) Course meets the critical/intellectual methods course requirement. For course description, see English Language and Literature. R. von Hallberg, M. Strand. Winter, 2005.

25900/35900. Medieval Epic. (=ENGL 15800/35800) Course meets the critical/intellectual methods course requirement. For course description, see English Language and Literature. M. Murrin. Autumn, 2004.

26700/36700. Renaissance and Baroque Fairy Tales and Their Modern Rewritings. (=ITAL 26200/36200) For course description, see Romance Languages and Literatures (Italian). A. Maggi. Winter.

27400. Jews and the Radical Enlightenment. (=JWSC 24700, HUMA 28902, RLST 25003) For course description, see Humanities. P. Maciejko. Winter, 2005.

27500. Legend and Folktale in Islamic Literature. (=NEHC 20632) For course description, see Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (Near Eastern History and Civilization). J. Perry. Autumn, 2005.

27600. South Slavic Oral Poetry. (=CLCV 28400, CLAS 38400, SOSL 26700/36700) For course description, see Slavic Languages and Literatures (South Slavic). B. Rakic. Winter, 2005.

27700. Bosnian Ethnic Cauldron: Literature of Ivo Andric. (=SOSL 27100/37100) For course description, see Slavic Languages and Literatures (South Slavic). B. Rakic. Autumn, 2004.

28400-28500/38400-38500. The Journey to the West I, II. (=CHIN 21206-21306/31206-31306, EALC 1206/41306, RLIT 49100/49200) PQ: Consent of instructor. Must be taken in sequence. For course description, see East Asian Languages and Civilizations (Chinese). A. Yu. Autumn, Winter.

29700. Reading Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Must be taken for a quality grade. This course cannot normally satisfy distribution requirements for CMLT majors; if a special case can be made, see the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

29100/39100. Renaissance Epic. (=ENGL 16300/36300) This course emphasizes the neoclassical epic, its theory, and its connections with history. We read Camoes's Lusiads, the epic about the first European voyage around Africa to India; Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered, the epic about the First Crusade that influenced The Faerie Queene, plus his Discourses on the Art of Poetry, in which he sets up a theory of neoclassical epic which also affected Milton; and Milton's Paradise Lost. M. Murrin. Winter, 2005.

29900. B.A. Project: Comparative Literature. PQ: Consent of instructor and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. In consultation with a faculty member, students devote the equivalent of a one-quarter course to the preparation of a B.A. project. Autumn, Winter, Spring.