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Comparative World Literature

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Courses - CWL Graduate Level

501. Advanced Interdisciplinary Study (3)

Intensive study of the theories and methods of comparing and interrelating literature with other disciplines such as various areas among the fine arts, the social sciences and the sciences. Course will involve independent research.
Letter grade only (A-F).

502./402. Selected Topics - Middle Eastern Literature and Culture (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Study of specific authors, themes, genres, movements, or aspects of literature and culture in the Middle East or between the Middle East and the West.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

503./403. Selected Topics - Asian Literature (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Interrelationships of two or more authors, themes, genres, movements or aspects of literature and culture in Asia or between Asia and the West.
May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

504./404. Selected Topics - Women in World Literature (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Study of the role of women in world literature.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

506./406. Selected Topics - East European Literature and Culture (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Major movements, authors, and themes in Eastern European literature and culture (Slavic and non-Slavic) and/or the relationship of East European literature and culture and Western Europe and North America.
Letter grade only (A-F). May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

530./430. Dante (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
A reading, in translation, of the major works of Dante, including the Vita Nuova and the Divine Comedy. Examination is also given to the comparative nature of Dante's work: his sources and his influence on later writers, artists, and composers.
Letter grade only (A-F).

532./432. Continental Renaissance Literature (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Comparative study of the major non-dramatic works of Renaissance Europe, including authors such as Petrarch, Boccaccio, Lorenzo de' Medici, Machiavelli, Ariosto, Tasso, Ronsard, Rabelais, Erasmus, and Cervantes. Emphasis is also given to influences, trends, and contributions to the modern world.
Letter grade only (A-F).

535./435. Literature of the Enlightenment (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Comparative study of European literature, from approximately 1650 to 1800, with an emphasis on reading literary works within historical context and considering the imaginative and intellectual achievements and legacies of the Enlightenment.

537./437. Romantic Literature (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Representative selections in translation from European writers of the Romantic period with an emphasis on a comparative study of works from Germany and France from about 1770-1850.

538./438. 20th Century European Literature (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Comparative study of continental European literature from 1900 to present. Focus on novels and drama. Topics include realism, naturalism, psychological novel, theatre of the absurd, existentialism, modernism, postmodernism, and postcolonialism.
Letter grade only (A-F).

540./440. Selected Topics - Latin American Literary Studies (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Comparative study of major literary genres in Latin American literature in relation to the principal periods and movements of the Western literary tradition.
Letter grade only (A-F). May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

545./445. Selected Topics - American Folklore Studies (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Topics are chosen to provide a bridge between literary, aesthetic and specialized folkloristic studies of American culture. Special attention will be paid to European and Third World contributions to American folklore.
May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

548./448. Selected Topics - Comparative Studies (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Interrelationship of two or more disciplines, with emphasis on reciprocal influences and borrowing of materials during various literary periods. The class will feature a different interdisciplinary study each semester.
Letter grade only (A-F). May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

549./449. Selected Topics - Major Continental Writers (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Intensive and comparative study of one to three major continental authors.
Letter grade only (A-F). May be repeated to maximum of 9 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

  • A. Nobel Prize Laureates
    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

550. Selected Topics - Comparative World Literature (3)

Prerequisite: CWL 501 or consent of instructor.
Special studies of movements, figures and relationships in world literature, or between world literature and other disciplines.
Letter grade only (A-F). May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

552./452. Selected Topics - Mythology (3)

Prerequisites: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Interrelation of two or more mythologies, mythological themes or theories of mythology. This class will feature a different area of an interdisciplinary or comparative nature in the study of mythology each semester.
Letter grade only (A-F). May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

553./453. Fairy Tales (3)

Prerequisite: One course in literature or consent of instructor.
Study of fairy tale as a unique literary genre and art form. Class will apply contemporary theory to tales and identify psychological, religious, cultural, and alchemical patterns and symbols that manifest the realization of identity and illustrate creative processes.
Letter grade only (A-F).

561./461. Selected Topics - Contemporary Literary Criticism (3)

Prerequisite: Two upper-division literature courses or consent of instructor.
In-depth study of a particular critic or movement in contemporary literary theory.
May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.


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