Literature

Catalog Archives > 2015-16 > Programs and Courses of Instruction > Departmental Majors > Literature

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Many departments in the Division of Literature and Languages offer courses in which the texts are read in translation. Literature courses are described under particular cross-listed departments within the division, with the exception of Literature 400 and 401, which are intended to serve all majors in the division. When courses are cross-listed under the sponsoring department, the texts in these courses are often read in the original language, usually in a separate conference; students with appropriate language skills should, for example, register for German 332 rather than Literature 332.

All literature courses fulfill Group A requirements. One unit of a literature course (or one unit in creative writing) may be applied toward the English major. For other majors in the division, literature courses at the 300 level will fulfill the division requirement of two units in a literature outside of the major.

Literature 309 - Introduction to Film Theory

Full course for one semester. The goal of this course is to introduce students to the main ideas and debates on film theory and criticism, from the early days of silent film to the most recent approaches to digital cinema. The discussion will focus on the most significant movements and film schools in Europe, the U.S., Latin America, and other parts of the world: realism, formalism, apparatus theory, psychoanalysis, feminism, auteurism, genre criticism, theories of spectatorship and reception, postmodernism, and third world and postcolonial cinema, among others. In addition to theoretical approaches, students will become familiar with cinematic language, including mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, and sound. The course will explore the work of directors such as D.W. Griffith, Sergei M. Eisenstein, F.W. Murnau, Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Buñuel, Vittorio De Sica, Jean-Luc Godard, Octavio Getino and Fernando Solanas, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Ousmane Sembene, Pedro Almodóvar, Agnès Varda, Wong Kar-wai, and Asghar Farhadi. Course includes weekly film screenings. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or consent of the instructor. Conference.

Literature 310 - African Literature and the Problem of Language

Full course for one semester. In this course we will study a diverse range of African literary contexts through the lens of language and translation. The question of what language to write in, and the implications of that choice, was one of the foundational issues of not only African, but also Francophone and Anglophone literary studies. The decision to write in French or English, colonial languages which have dominated literary writing in Africa over the last century, implies both a particular audience and a certain ideological baggage which must be dealt with. After identifying how these questions play out for several individual authors, we will examine alternatives to European languages. These include writing in other languages, such as Arabic or a vernacular, as well as aesthetic practices that challenge narrow understandings of the literary: oral performance, film, rap, and other uses of recording technology. Critical readings in African studies and translation theory will guide our analyses. All readings and discussions conducted in English. Conference.

Not offered 2015—16.

Literature 336 - Animal Fables through the Ages: Subversion and Critique

Full course for one semester. Animal fables—like “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Ant and the Grasshopper”—are an enduring tradition within world literature and folklore. In this course, we will uncover the textual and visual mechanisms at work beneath the ostensibly simple façades that they present to readers and listeners. We will evaluate the array of devious purposes that these narratives serve in both contemporary and historical French and Francophone cultures, from advertising to entertainment to education, and from the Middle Ages to the globalized world. Primary texts will include many examples of verse poetry and novels as well as bandes dessinées (graphic novels) and contemporary cinema. Discussion in English. Conference.

Not offered 2015—16.

Literature 400 - Introduction to Literary Theory

Full course for one semester. This course is a historical and analytical introduction to the major theoretical movements of the last 50 years in Western Europe and America. We will trace the philosophical origins and conceptual affiliations of the major developments in these movements. We will unpack the central concepts or master tropes of these theories to think about their function in literary criticism and learn how to use them purposefully. The course will cover structuralism and semiotics, poststructuralism and deconstruction, psychoanalytic theory, poststructuralist Marxist theory, Foucauldian theory and new historicism, postcolonial studies, and gender and feminist studies. The course will be taught as a seminar, with each student responsible for organizing the discussion of a reading or topic. It is designed for literature majors, but non–literature majors with adequate preparation may be admitted at the discretion of the instructors. Prerequisite: junior standing or at least two literature courses. Conference. Cross-listed solely as English 400 in 2014–15. Not offered 2015–16.

French
Full course for one semester. A historical and analytical introduction to the major theoretical movements of the last 50 years in Western European and American literary criticism. The course will trace the philosophical origins and conceptual affiliations of the major theoretical developments, as well as the methodological paradigms that draw on them. As part of this overview we will unpack the master tropes of the different theoretical movements in order to develop a basic understanding of how to wield them effectively in literary critical discourse. Movements covered will include structuralism and semiotics, poststructuralism and deconstruction, Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, poststructuralist Marxist theory, Foucauldian theory, postmodernism, and cultural studies. The course will be taught as a seminar, with each student responsible for organizing the discussion of a reading or topic. It is designed for literature majors, but non–literature majors with adequate preparation may be admitted at the discretion of the instructor, depending on enrollment. Prerequisites: junior standing and at least one literature course, or permission of the instructor. Cross-listed as French 400 and English 400. Not offered 2015–16.

German
Full course for one semester. This class offers an introduction to the major topics in twentieth- and twenty-first-century literary theory and criticism. Movements covered will include structuralism and semiotics, postcolonialism, and digital humanities. The course will be taught as a seminar, with each student responsible for organizing the discussion of a specific topic or text. In addition to theoretical materials, we will read several works of poetry and prose and consider the diverse interpretations they have occasioned. The class is designed for literature majors, but nonliterature majors with adequate preparation will be admitted at the discretion of the instructor. Conducted in English. Students taking the course for German literature credit will meet in extra sessions. Prerequisites: junior standing and at least one literature course, or consent of the instructor; for students taking the course for German credit, German 220 or consent of the instructor. Conference. Cross-listed as German 400 and English 400. Not offered 2015–16.