Fall 2023

Comparative study of works from a broad range of cultural traditions that originate from, and provide insight into, vital global locations outside the Western sphere.

Survey of literary and other cultural texts from the 19th to the 21st centuries, with emphasis on the individual and social change.

Comparative approach and general introduction to literature and cinema from the four major nations of maritime Southeast Asia (Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia).

Cultural dimensions of issues in globalization: migration, diaspora, terrorism, communications, climate change, collectives, production and technology, money and exchange.

Examines contemporary Arab state-society relations using literature to illustrate how people construct meanings and portray issues of national, social, and cultural significance.

Introduction to psychoanalytic literature on the arts, including classic texts by Freud, Jones, Lacan, Derrida, and others. Readings of theoretical and fictional works.

Survey of major texts in the literary criticism of the West from the Greeks to postmodern theories.

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.

Introduction to critical reflection on the image. Analysis of criticism, fiction, film, and visual artifacts.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

Writing of an honors thesis under individual faculty supervision.

Contemporary notions of racial, cultural, and religious difference across languages and history.

Emphasis on gender difference and sexual difference as signifying categories for literary works, criticism, or theory.