Courses Offered 2025-2026
CO120: Literature, Power, and Identities:
An examination of literature as a venue of explorations of power and identities, particularly of how identities are constructed as well as of how literary texts (re)present and can work to deconstruct identities. Emphasis on close reading of texts as well as on critical analysis and writing. 1 unit.
Block 2: Digitalia from the Margins: Reading the World Computer
This course investigates how digital culture, computational infrastructure, and aesthetics are imagined, contested, and re-coded from the margins of global power. We will think of the Computer and the Internet as units of physical matter with a story to tell, from data centres to undersea optical fibre cable networks with substantial ecological implications. We will examine literature, film, essays, and online media that engage critically with the so-called “World Computer”: a term that captures the techno-utopian dream of a seamless, global digital order powered by platforms, algorithms, and data. AIM, EPG
De
Block 3: Hybrid Bodies, Hybrid Voices in Borderland Literatures
Hybrid Bodies, Hybrid Voices in Borderland Literatures Borderlands are not only geographical but also political and social spaces. Boundaries blur, cross-cultural exchanges evolve, cultures interlayer in these contact zones. Borderlands introduce complex matrices of identity and power negotiated across time through historical and literary memory. This course focuses on literary texts, from ancient to contemporary, that grow out of these liminal, hybrid spaces. We’ll read plays, fiction, poems (narrative, lyric, dub, spoken word), that represent a spectrum of cultures and contact zones. How do these texts give voice to different histories of invasion, colonization, assimilation, migration/immigration? How do they (re)imagine and (re)present identities across time? What different questions do they raise about class, gender, race? Reading selections will draw on texts from contact zones in Ancient Greece, Anglo Saxon England, the Welsh Marches as well as colonial encounters in Mexico, Algeria, India, the Caribbean (the Windrush Generation), Nigeria, South Africa. Also listed as EN100. AIM, EPG
EvittCO121: Literature, Place, and the World:
An examination of the literature as a venue for understanding the rich diversity of global humanity and perspectives, with special attention to how "place" informs literary settings as well as sites of composition and sites of consumption. Emphasis on close reading of texts as well as on critical analysis and writing. 1 unit.
Block 5: The Other Europe: Contemporary Eastern European Fiction
Henry James remarked, “It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature.” Accordingly, this course will examine 20th- and 21st-century Eastern European fiction and explore how literature not only reflects and comments on historical developments but also enacts them, focusing on representations of identity, memory, war, and exile. Also listed as RS200. AIM, HP
Scheiner
Block 6: Myth and Meaning
Religion and myth of ancient Greece and Rome in relation to that of the ancient Mediterranean (Akkadian, Hittite, Sumerian, Egyptian). Female presence in art, literature and religion compared to treatment of women in their respective cultures. Theoretical approaches to the understanding of myth (Comparative, Jungian, Structuralist) in relation to myths as they are encoded in their specific cultures. Students may trace a myth through Medieval, Renaissance and modern transformations in art, music, poetry and film, or study myth in other cultures (e.g. Norse and Celtic). 1 unit. AIM, HP
Dobson
CO130: Literature and Contemporary Issues:
Are we entering a posthuman era? This course will focus on recent science fiction literature, along with a few films, that draw on current questions and concerns regarding what it means to be human. We will also examine key theoretical texts regarding technology and the posthuman. In the wake of the digital revolution we encounter both hopes that humans can achieve great things that would never before have seemed possible, along with fears that much of our understanding of what it means to be human is being eroded, even that “the human” may becoming superfluous. At the same time, humans are questioning the status of homo sapiens as the pinnacle of the living world, wondering if we are really such a special category of living organisms. Literary science fiction is a form of cultural representation in which many of these questions and ideas of the status of the human find expression. Representative science fiction authors include: H.P. Lovecraft, Ted Chiang, Jeff Vandermeer, Kathe Koja, Michael Marrak, China Miéville, Neil Gaiman. Representative theorists include: Timothy Morton, Jane Bennett, Donna Haraway, N. Katherine Hayles. Also listed as GR220 AIM, SHB
Davis
Block 8: The "Genius in the Garage" Syndrome: Thinking Aspirationality and Digital Literacies
CO131: Literature, Texts, and Media:
An examination of the intersections between literary texts and other forms of media and textuality, in an international context. Emphasis on close reading of texts as well as on critical analysis and writing. 1 unit.
Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, works of metafiction do not follow the advice to “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” Nor do they allow readers to do so either. Instead, works of metafiction pull back the curtain and call attention to themselves as fictional constructs. They do not let readers forget they are reading texts that have been written and are being read. In doing so, works of metafiction call into question the boundaries between fiction and reality. Although the term “metafiction,” which William Gass coined in 1970, is used most often to refer to postmodern works in the Western tradition written in the 1960s and 1970s, works of metafiction date back to antiquity and can be found across the globe. Accordingly, this course examines contemporary works of metafiction from East Africa, China, Europe, Latin America, and the United States, as well as their precursors. Emphasis on close reading of literary texts as well as on critical analysis and writing. AIM
Scheiner
CO200: Topics in Comparative Literature:
Consideration of literature in a comparative context. Comparisons may take place across languages, cultures, periods, genres, or disciplines. (May be taught as a January half-block.) .5 or 1 unit.
Block 1: Homer
The Iliad and Odyssey as oral traditional poems, preservers of Bronze Age and archaic lore, locus of the creation of classical Greek culture and predecessors of European epic; together with Hesiodic epic and Homeric hymns. Reading in English with attention to the formal Greek diction and the problems of translation, except that students who know Greek will read parts of the original text. Also listed as CL218 AIM, HP
Cramer
Block 1: Global Queer Cinema
Cultivates deeper understanding of theories, concepts, and interdisciplinary sub-fields within Feminist & Gender Studies. Emphasizes ways of connecting, synthesizing, and employing theories and concepts, continuing to pay attention to foundational texts and concepts, while recognizing the always shifting landscape of the field. Assignments require intermediate-level independent thinking and research skills.
Germen, Kumar
Block 3: Chekhov to Joyce: Invention of the Modern Short Story
Anton Chekhov defined the genre of the modern short story--minimal exposition, rejection of dogmatism, meticulous economy of detail, plot integrated with characterization, and open endings. Class time will be devoted to close readings of Chekhov's stories, as well as viewings of Russian film adaptations of his works. We will also learn about Chekhov's life in the context of the then current cultural and ideological trends. Also listed as EN280/RS200
Pavlenko
Block 3: Haunted Histories: Colonialism, Imperialism, and the Politics of Memory
This course explores Germany’s colonial and imperial legacies, from the precolonial era to the present. We will examine Germany’s colonial empire, its involvement in broader colonial projects, and colonialism’s effects during the Nazi era, as well as postwar and contemporary efforts in East, West, and reunited Germany to reckon with colonial violence, such as debates around public space, museums, and colonial street names. Theoretical readings will help interrogate questions of race, power, and memory, while recent literature and film will provide insights into how colonial and imperial legacies continue to shape German identity and society today. We will draw comparisons to other European countries and the United States, and students will apply these discussions to a variety of global contexts through research projects. Also listed as GR220.Steckenbiller
Block 3: Contemporary Psychoanalysis
An introductory study of Freud and Kohut and the transformation of their theories in contemporary psychoanalysis. Students will read the works of and meet with distinguished psychoanalysts (in person and/or via Zoom) who will present new approaches to understanding psychoanalytic theory and therapeutic action. We will also explore how psychoanalysis can be used in the interpretation of culture, especially art and theater.
Dobson, Riker
Block 5: James Baldwin and Religion
An introduction to James Baldwin’s literature and his robust engagement of religious themes throughout his literary corpus. Students will explore the autobiographically inspired religious and theological questions which often serve as the foundation for Baldwin’s complex understanding/critique of the socio-political realities of race, sexuality, and gender in the United States. This course also considers the ways in which Baldwin “queers” Christian theological language and symbols in putting forth his own unique post-Christian religious vision. Also listed as RE292 and RM200
Hunt
Block 5: Comedy
Platt
Block 6: Borders, Migration, & Citizenship in the Contemporary World
Over the last decade, Europe, and Germany in particular, have received an unprecedented number of refugees. This course looks at recent and historical conditions of movement and displacement, from European colonialism, Nazi Germany, postwar labor migration, and European integration to the fall of the Berlin Wall, current EU policies, the rise of the far right, and larger global debates. Through the lens of social justice and using literature and film as the main frameworks for analysis, students will investigate the long-term social and cultural impacts of these developments and explore larger questions of identity, inclusion, exclusion, borders, migration, and citizenship.
Steckenbiller
Block 6: Exploring Cajun and Creole Cultures in the US
This course, taught in English, explores the historical presence and significance of Cajun and Creole cultures in North America, in the US particularly. The course also studies the social and cultural significance of processes of Creolization of French, as well as French as a heritage language in the US. This investigation is carried through the reading and critical study of works by U.S. authors of Black, Cajun, and Creole origins as well as critical study of filmic representations of histories and cultures of Creoles, and Cajuns in Louisiana. Particularly, Ann Rice’s popular television series, Feast of All Saints, amongst others, will be studied. The course’s critical exploration of Cajun and Creole and heterogenous southern cultures culminates with a 4 to 5-day guided visits (field trip) in the historical city of New Orleans and vicinity in Louisiana. Also listed as FR317
Wade
Block 6: Shakespeare's Political Wisdom
This course will explore Shakespeare’s dramas as political philosophy. In his plays, Shakespeare often immerses the audience in richly detailed political situations that give rise to profound political and moral dilemmas which human beings continue to confront to this day. The class will pursue the moral and political education that thoughtful and prudent political men and women had for generations found in so many of Shakespeare’s dramas.
Grace
Religion and myth of ancient Greece and Rome in relation to that of the ancient Mediterranean (Akkadian, Hittite, Sumerian, Egyptian). Female presence in art, literature and religion compared to treatment of women in their respective cultures. Theoretical approaches to the understanding of myth (Comparative, Jungian, Structuralist) in relation to myths as they are encoded in their specific cultures. Students may trace a myth through Medieval, Renaissance and modern transformations in art, music, poetry and film, or study myth in other cultures (e.g. Norse and Celtic). Also listed as CL220, FG220. AIM, HP
Dobson
Block 7: Discovering the Unconscious
Major psychoanalytic perspectives of the late 19th and 20th centuries on the concept of the unconscious in theory, case studies, and fiction. Emphasis on unconscious processes as they relate to the formation of identity. Readings from such authors as Freud, Jung, Klein, Winnicott, Kohut, and Yalom. Also listed as PH262
Dobson
Block 7: Voice and Non-Human
This course interrogates anthropocentrism and human/nonhuman animal relations through a specialized, ecocritical and ecofeminist analysis of theoretical, visual and literary texts. In many European and Judeo-Christian representations, the nonhuman animal is subjected to the human, and represented as the carrier of a "value" or "message" applicable to the human world. In such cultural texts and artifacts, nonhuman animals tend to not be seen, represented, understood as equals, and/or as members of a completely difference species holding value per se, having abilities and skills not directly exploitable in the anthropocentric world. Recent theory has instead voiced the importance of including analyses of the nonhuman vis--vis existing analyses questioning colonialism and exploitations based on religion, gender, race, political ideas. Based on these theoretical readings, we will ask: Which discriminatory mechanisms, which power structures apply, similarly or even identically, to nonhumans and to minority, colonized, discriminated groups? How in turn have some minority groups (such as indigenous people) have fought to include land and animal rights in their own battle for full recognition as equal political subjects? We will work actively as a group and individually to identify the cultural discourses enabling domination and exploitation of nonhuman animals, along other subtler instances of anthropocentrism and speciesism. We will then try to leave behind our anthropocentrism and to come up with creative solutions for a more just interspecies world. Also listed as IT320, PH203, and EV261. Taught abroad. AIM, EPG, EPUS, CPAn introduction to philosophy through works of science fiction. Many profound questions about the nature of reality and the nature of humanity have been raised in sci fi and discussed in philosophical essays. Students in this course will consider a wide range of important philosophical questions with the help of mutually illuminating works of philosophy and science fiction. Also listed as PH142
Daly
Block 8: The Bible: Myth and History
This course examines the history and literature of ancient Judaism and Christianity, with a focus on the ways in which Jewish and Christian scriptures reflect the religious, cultural, social, and political facets of their ancient Near Eastern, Hellenistic, and Roman contexts. In doing so, we survey the Bible’s broad range of ancient literary genres, including myth, historical narrative, law, prophecy, poetry, biography, and apocalypse. At times, we examine how biblical traditions reflect and/or revise historical events. We also consider how certain Jewish and Christian texts evolve into authoritative collections and encounter some of the ancient scriptures that remain outside the biblical canons. In addition, we explore the relationship between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, with special attention to resonances of Jewish prophetic and apocalyptic traditions in the latter. Finally, we develop an awareness of how biblical traditions continue to impact our contemporary culture in significant ways. Also listed as RE110.
Reaves
Block 8: Against Monolingualism: Languages, Multilingualism, & AI
What is monolingualism and what are its consequences? This course unpacks what is at stake in a world that is becoming increasingly monolingual by examining how global English-language dominance reinforces privilege, nationalism, and systemic inequities. We will look at a variety of cultural contexts and language hierarchies in the US, Latin America, and Europe. Through literature, film, historical and theoretical readings, and critical discussions, we will explore how language shapes questions of identity, equity, and power. As AI accelerates these challenges, this course will also help students develop critical AI literacy skills, making the case for a deep and engaged study of other languages and cultures as a path to reclaiming multilingualism and diverse perspectives. Also listed as GR220 and SP308
Steckenbiller, Marinescu
Introduction to the major twentieth-century theories of literature, including such approaches as formalism and structuralism, hermeneutics, reception theory, feminist theory, psychoanalytic approaches, post-structuralism and new historicism. Study of important theoretical texts as well as literary works from a variety of language traditions, exploring the ways in which theory informs possibilities of interpretation. Also listed as EN250
De
What is Comparative Literature? What is World Literature? Examination of the history, methods, conceptual frameworks, canonical thinkers, critics, current issues, and debates in these interrelated fields and how they shape our reading of literature. Emphasis on close ready of both theoretical and literary texts, critical analysis, and writing in a comparative context. AIM, EPG
Davis
Consideration of literature in a comparative context. Comparisons may take place across languages, cultures, periods, genres, or disciplines. No prerequisite. (May be taught as a January half-block) .5 or 1 unit.
Block 2: Medieval Bodies
Selected English and/or Continental literature of the period 400-1500, organized around a specific topic or theme. Also listed as EN310. 1 unit
Evitt
Block 3: Frankenstein & Notre-Dame de Paris
This course will examine two pivotal nineteenth-century Gothic novels, Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, Frankenstein (1818) and Victor Hugo’s magisterial Notre-Dame de Paris (1831), as historical, cultural, and literary phenomena through a range of generic iterations over two centuries. Beginning with key Enlightenment texts, we will examine the political and social contexts of Shelley’s and Hugo’s works with regard to scientific exploration, race, monstrosity, architecture, religion, colonialism, disability, radicalism, feminism, slavery, ethics, and aesthetics. Significant time may be given to exploring the ways in which these novels have been re-imagined through other media such as theatre, cinema, and digital media. Also listed as EN370 and FR316.
Tallent, Richman
Block 7: Doctor Faustus
Thomas Mann’s 1947 novel, Doctor Faustus (originally published in German as, Doktor Faustus: Das Leben des deutschen Tonsetzers Adrian Leverkühn, erzählt von einem Freunde), follows the life of fictional composer Adrian Leverkühn against the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. The rich interplay between different timelines and topics—the narrator’s perspective from within the Third Reich, Leverkühn’s descent into madness, and the Faust legend itself—invite a myriad of interpretations and interdisciplinary approaches. Through the lens of Doctor Faustus, this class will explore the socio-political, literary, and musical history of the German speaking lands during the 19th-20th centuries. Our study of the novel will also give students a broad overview of the history of Western European art music, particularly regarding changing aesthetic values, the ever-evolving role of the composer, and the concept of “genius”. Also listed as MU398
Chang
Block 8: David Foster Wallace
Described by The New York Times as a “writer of virtuosic talents who can seemingly do anything,” novelist, short-story writer, and essayist David Foster Wallace dramatically changed the face of contemporary fiction. In this course, we will explore Wallace’s fiction and non-fiction, focusing both on his use of language and on the philosophical ideas that inform his writing. We will also critically examine Wallace’s often problematic depictions of race, class, gender, and sexuality in his works. Also listed as EN280.
Scheiner
Thesis subject chosen by student and approved by Comparative Literature Program Director. Choice of subject, research, outline and writing completed in this course. Prerequisite: CO255 and CO430, required for majors. 1 unit.