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Undergraduate
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Lower Division |
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COLT 101 |
Introduction to Comparative Literature |
| The "Introduction to Comparative Literature" series (COLT 101, 102, 103) introduces students to the study of world culture. Each course emphasizes the richness and complexity of world culture, covering a broad array of works from classical Greece to the modern Caribbean, from Shakespeare to the Kenyan essayist and playwright Ngugi wa Thiong'o. COLT 101 in particular focuses on questions of genre (i.e. literary form) and literary history: namely, the history of those genres as they evolve and are transmitted and translated from one culture and context to the next. Students are introduced to the basics of formal literary analysis: they learn to appreciate and analyze specific literary forms like the novel, lyric poetry, drama. They learn, as well, to appreciate how a single theme or content is shaped by its culturally specific mode of representation. Perhaps even more importantly, by becoming attentive to the way in which a given culture shapes its expression of common human themes -- e.g. coming of age, grappling with death, finding one's home -- students become more aware of the way their own identities are shaped by culture. COLT 101, 102 and 103 complement each other, and may be taken individually or out of sequence. COLT 101 satisfies both the University's Arts and Letters requirement and the International Cultures multicultural requirement. | |
COLT 102 |
Introduction to Comparative Literature II |
| May be taken independently from Comparative Literature 101 COLT 102 in particular focuses upon the social and political contexts of world literature, introducing students to some of the basic terms of cultural studies: that is, the study of literature as a socio-political institution. With an emphasis on questions of identity-formation, discussions will be anchored in such categories as class, race and gender, and will consider broad cultural questions of vernacularity (i.e. the distinction between "high" and "low" culture), dissent and censorship, identity formation, etc. COLT 101, 102 and 103 complement each other, and may be taken individually or out of sequence. COLT 102 satisfies both the University's Arts and Letters requirement and the International Cultures multicultural requirement. No prerequisite for this course. | |
COLT 103
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Introduction to Comparative Literature III: |
| May be taken independently from COLT 101 and COLT 102 COLT 103 introduces students to the study of Comparative Literature by considering visual culture from across the world. "Visual culture" is a term that has been used within the discipline for several decades now, and includes topics in world film and digital media; performance and live culture; and, finally, texts that combine word and image (e.g. graphic novels and photojournalism). In many ways the study of visual culture now represents the cutting edge of Comparative Literature as a discipline. COLT 101, 102 and 103 complement each other, and may be taken individually or out of sequence. COLT 103 satisfies both the University's Arts and Letters requirement and the International Cultures multicultural requirement. | |
COLT 211 |
Comparative World Literature |
NEW |
COLT 211 introduces students to the study world literature from an explicitly comparative perspective. Students learn to address the often fraught and politically contested ways in which literary forms (e.g. genres, motifs, rhetorical modes) move from one culture, region and historical epoch to the next. COLT 211 thus considers the global transmissions and translations of literary forms. Accordingly, students are introduced to the complexities and intricacies of literary translation and offered a basic grounding in translation theory. Finally, given its focus on international cultural contexts and the global circulation of literary forms, COLT 211 offers a strong introduction to the discipline of Comparative Literature. Because of its broad, introductory nature, COLT 211 satisfies the Arts & Letters requirement. |
COLT 212 |
Comparative World Cinema |
NEW |
COLT 212 examines the “worlding” of cinema: that is, it explores the medium of film from an explicitly comparative perspective. Students are introduced to questions of cultural translation and adaptation, and are asked to address the aesthetic, ideological and socio-economic exchanges between national cinematic traditions. In addition, students gain a brief overview of film theory and media aesthetics, as well as learning key terms in translation theory. Finally, given its focus on international exchange and the global circulation of cultural forms, COLT 212 offers a strong introduction to the discipline of Comparative Literature. Because of its broad, introductory nature, COLT 212 satisfies the Arts & Letters requirement. |
Upper Division |
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COLT 301 |
Approaches to Comparative Literature |
| COLT 301 offers an introduction to literary theory, with an emphasis on comparative study. Students learn the fundamental theories and methods of Comparative Literature, reading selections from a wide variety of theoretical schools including psychoanalysis, linguistics, French feminism, poststructuralism and postcolonial studies. In addition, students investigate the relevance of such literary theory for the analysis of written and visual materials. Coursework typically culminates in a student project involving one artifact chosen by the student (text, painting, film, digital artwork, graphic novel, etc.) to be analyzed within the critical framework of the course. COLT 301 satisfies the University's Arts and Letters requirement. | |
COLT 302 |
Theories of Poetry |
NEW |
Introduction to the study of poetry and poetic form from a world perspective. |
COLT 303 |
Theories of the Novel |
NEW |
Introduction to the study of narrativity and the novel from a world perspective. |
COLT 304 |
Theories of Drama |
NEW |
Introduction to the study of drama and performance from a world perspective. |
COLT 305 |
Cultural Studies |
NEW |
COLT 305 introduces students to the interdisciplinary study of cultural discourses and practices known as "cultural studies." Cultural studies has increasingly become a central field within the discipline of comparative literature, thanks to its capacity to address a huge variety of cultural artifacts across an array of national contexts. In COLT 305, students are introduced to the defining concept of cultural studies: namely that culture can be understood as a meaningful system of signs, capable of analysis and interpretation. In addition, students learn to address the historical and socio-political contexts of culture, paying special attention to the ways in which cultural forms help delineate power relations, typically in terms of categories like gender, race and class. COLT 305 teaches students how to interpret and critique the many levels of cultural discourse that surround us, and further helps students position such discourse within a global context. [A&L and IP group satisfying] |
COLT 350 |
Comparative Literature: Topic |
| [Topic] (4R) Recent topics include Art of Translation, Madness and Creativity. | |
COLT 360 |
Gender and Identity in Literature |
| COLT 360 introduces students to the analysis of human identity (including issues of gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity) as a cultural formation. Students examine an array of materials from world culture, ranging from antiquity to the modern, from colonizing to indigenous cultures, from East to West and North to South. Through a select core of critical readings, students are given the tools to analyze the impact of cultural forms (books, films, songs, etc.) on the shaping of human identity. Students thus gain an appreciation for the politics of artistic representation; they learn to recognize the ways in which a nation or region's culture may function both as a site for social control and for social change. COLT 360 satisfies the University's Identity and Pluralism multicultural requirement. | |
COLT 399 |
Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) |
COLT 415 |
Capstone Seminar |
NEW |
Senior seminar for all COLT students includes development and presentation of an original research project. |
COLT 430 |
Literary Movements |
NEW |
[Topic] (4-5R) Literature and other media considered within the context of intellectual, cultural and/or socio-political movements, e.g. Modernism, Situationism, the Baroque. R twice when topic changes for maximum of 15 credits. |
COLT 440 |
Studies in Genre |
NEW |
[Topic] (4-5R) In-depth analysis of specific literary genres and/or modes, e.g. lyric poetry, comedy, allegory. R twice when topic changes for maximum of 15 credits. |
COLT 450 |
Comparative Studies in Cinema |
NEW |
[Topic] (4–5R) Advanced consideration of the aesthetic (including literary) and cultural contexts of world film. Calhoon. R twice when topic changes for maximum of 15 credits. |
COLT 460 |
Major Theorists |
NEW |
[Topic] (4-5R) Concentrates on the work of a single literary or cultural theorist, e.g. Walter Benjamin, Jacques Derrida, Gayatri Spivak. R twice when topic changes for maximum of 15 credits. |
COLT 461 |
Studies in Contemporary Theory |
| [Topic] (4–5R) Identifies issues in literary or cultural theory for close examination. R twice when topic changes for maximum of 15 credits. | |
COLT 462 |
Cultural Intersections |
| [Topic] (4–5R) Studies designated issues between literatures and societies remote from one another, e.g., “minor” and “major” cultures, Asia and the West. R twice when topic changes for maximum of 15 credits. | |
COLT 470 |
Studies in Identity |
NEW |
[Topic] (4–5R) Advanced study of gender, ethnicity, and other identity formations in literature. R twice when topic changes for maximum 15 credits. |
COLT 490 |
Literature and Philosophy: |
NEW |
[Topic] (4–5R) Establishes a dialogue between philosophy and literature—as disciplines, as historical constructions, as value systems. R twice when topic changes for maximum of 15 credits. |
COLT 407 |
Seminar: [Topic] (1–5R) |
COLT 408 |
Workshop: [Topic] (1–21R) |
COLT 401 |
Research: [Topic] (1–21R) |
COLT 403 |
Thesis (1–12R) |
COLT 405 |
Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–21R) |