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18 courses found.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE (L16) (Dept. Info)

Arts & Sciences (Policies)

L16 Comp Lit 111C

First-Year Seminar: Literature and Democracy

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Recent trends in the United States and around the world have led many to believe that the beliefs and institutions undergirding democracy are in peril. This Freshman Seminar examines how literary and theatrical works have explored both the promises and challenges of democracy. Can literary and theatrical works model democracy by articulating multiple points of view in ways that allow for informed civic deliberation? How can literary works allow for free, democratic expression in totalitarian and repressive political contexts? The course begins with an overview of democratic ideas. Next Plato's attack on democracy is taken up, followed by a unit on ancient Greek theater in the contect of democratic institutions. Shakespeare's ambivalent representation of proto-democratic ideas is explored. A large part of the course is devoted to the founding principles - and contradictions - of American democracy. We will read parts of Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America", essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and poems by Walt Whitman. Sustained attention will be given to the systematic exclusions of American democracy (notably, of women and African-Americans) and the efforts to form "a more perfect union," as we read authors such as Margaret Fuller, Susan Glaspell, and James Baldwin. This course is for first-year, non-transfer students only.

A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

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Classroom instruction

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2:30P-3:50P

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Henke

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	Actions:		Books		Syllabus
	Syllabi are provided to students to support their course planning; refer to the syllabus for constraints on use.

L16 Comp Lit 1590

First-Year Seminar: Literature and Justice

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This seminar explores the problem of justice through a broad range of literary writings. Students will study classic texts from different historical periods and cultural traditions, ranging from Sophocles and William Shakespeare to Fyodor Dostoyevski and Toni Morrison. We will pay particular attention to the following questions: What do we owe each other? What is the relationship between equity and the letter of the law? How do different cultures determine what is just and what is unjust? What is the role of art in the representation of injustice? Aimed at developing the habits of close textual analysis that are central to the study of texts in the humanities, the course will help students cultivate the art of critical judgment. Course is for first-year, non-transfer students only.

A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM BU: BA, ETH EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L14 159 L84 1590

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01

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4:00P-5:20P

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Schmidgen

No final

15

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L16 Comp Lit 201A

Classical to Renaissance Literature: Text & Traditions

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Students enrolled in this course engage in close and sustained reading of a set of texts that are indispensable for an understanding of the European literary tradition, texts that continue to offer invaluable insights into humanity and the world around us. Homer's Iliad is the foundation of our class. We then go on to trace ways in which later poets and dramatists engage the work of predecessors who inspire and challenge them. Readings move from translations of Greek, Latin, and Italian, to poetry and drama composed in English. In addition to Homer, we will read works of Sappho, a Greek tragedian, Plato, Vergil, Ovid, Petrarch, and Shakespeare.

A&S: AMP A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L93 201C L08 2011 L61 201C

Annually / History

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Purchase

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02

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4:00P-5:20P

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Stamatopoulou

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2:30P-3:50P

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Ake

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L16 Comp Lit 211

World Literature

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World Literature examines and draws connections between literary texts originally produced in various parts of the world (Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas) from the early twentieth century to the contemporary period. Throughout the semester, we will move across different cultures and experiences of modernity in the company of fiction, poetry, drama, and memoir. We will pay particularly close attention to ways in which colonialism has shaped our readings and our reality. This class introduces the concept and practice of comparative literature to undergraduates pursuing the major or minor in Comparative Literature or Comparative Arts; it is also designed for those with related interests in literature and global culture. No prerequisites. First-year students are welcome.

A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

Annually / History

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4:00P-5:20P

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Fischer

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21

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	Actions:		Books		Syllabus
	Syllabi are provided to students to support their course planning; refer to the syllabus for constraints on use.

L16 Comp Lit 301C

Greek Mythology

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The myths of ancient Greece are not only inherently interesting, but they are an incomparable starting point for the study of the ancient world, and they have offered numerous images and paradigms to poets, artists, and theorists. This course provides an introduction to the major Greek myths, their role in literature and art, their historical and social background, and ancient and modern approaches to their interpretation. Student work will include discussing course material in sections and online, taking two exams covering both the myths themselves and the ancient authors who represent our richest sources, and writing several essays interpreting or comparing ancient literary treatments. 3 units. Please note that Discussion Section A is reserved for students in the Democracy and Myth in Ancient Greece Ampersand program. This course is open to first-year students

A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

Annually / History

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9:00A-9:50A

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Wilson

Dec 13 2024 8:00AM - 10:00AM

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A

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B

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C

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L16 Comp Lit 3123

Introduction to Digital Humanities

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It is a truism that computers have changed our lives and the way we think and interact. But in fact systematic efforts to apply current technologies to the study of history and culture have been rare. This course will enable students to consider how these technologies might transform the humanities. We will explore the various ways in which ideas and data in the humanities can be represented, analyzed, and communicated. We will also reflect on how the expansion of information technology has transformed and is continuing to transform the humanities, both with regard to their role in the university and in society at large. Readings and classwork will be supplemented by class presentations and a small assigned group project.

A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L93 3123 L14 312C L98 3123

Annually / History

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8:30A-9:50A

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Kirilloff

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Appropriate for first year students.

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L16 Comp Lit 320A

The Intellectual History of Race and Ethnicity: Text & Traditions

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4:00P-5:20P

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Gais

Dec 18 2024 6:00PM - 8:00PM

18

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L16 Comp Lit 351

A World of Words

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This seminar is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in literature, foreign languages, creative writing, and translating. In the course students will enrich their studies in foreign languages, cultures and literatures with creative work. Participants will read and discuss practical criticism, present their own creative projects and hone their skills as writers, translators, and readers. At the conclusion of the course, students will have the choice of presenting a polished work of translation or a piece of original writing. Besides myriad possibilities for translating into and from English, the course can accommodate creative writers in English, Spanish, French, German, Korean, and Chinese. Students who wish to enroll in the course should contact the Program in Comparative Literature for further information. There is a limit of 12 participants to the course. Appropriate for First-Year students.

A&S IQ: HUM, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

N/A

Every Semester / History

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4:00P-5:20P

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Goeritz

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12

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	Actions:		Books		Syllabus
	Syllabi are provided to students to support their course planning; refer to the syllabus for constraints on use.

L16 Comp Lit 3520

Introduction to Postcolonial Literature

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At its zenith, the British Empire encompassed almost a quarter of the globe, allowing the diminutive island nation unprecedented economic, military, and political influence upon the rest of the world. This course will introduce some of the foundational responses to this dominance, both literary and theoretical, by the colonized and their descendants. We will examine important critiques of colonialism by theorists such as Frantz Fanon, Aimé Césaire, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak, as well as literary works that reflect a postcolonial critique by authors such as V.S. Naipaul, George Lamming, Doris Lessing, and N'gugi wa Thiong'o. The course will interrogate how literature could be said to help consolidate Empire as well as ways in which it might function as rebellion against imperial power, with a view toward teasing out the problematics of race, gender, language, nationalism, and identity that postcolonial texts so urgently confront. This course satisfies the 20th C or later historical requirement. This course may fulfill the global or minority literatures requirement for students who declare an English major in the fall 2021 semester and beyond.

A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM E Lit: GML, TC EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L14 3520 L97 3521

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2:30P-3:50P

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Brown

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15

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L16 Comp Lit 375

Topics in Comparative Literature: Representation and Memory in St. Louis Museums

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This interdisciplinary course focuses on scholarly discourses of representation, memory, and history and the way museums and other cultural institutions in St. Louis articulate and preserve these aspects: As we address questions such as who narrates and writes history, we will also learn how museums (such as the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum) choose and build their collections through art and historical exhibitions. For example, we will explore how St. Louis museums curated exhibitions about historical dynamics as racial segregation and redlining or the immigration of Holocaust survivors to St. Louis. In several hands-on sessions with the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, we will learn about the various kinds of work that make running a museum, such as curating an exhibition, developing PR, and educating the geeral public. Thus, students will develop practical skills (such as creative project design and management as well as visual design and communication.) Students will work on a creative, self-guided project throughout the semester (when possible, in connection with local museums.) First-year students are welcome in this course.

A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

N/A

Unpredictable / History

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4:00P-5:20P

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Zuehlke

Paper/Project/TakeHome

25

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	Actions:		Books		Syllabus
	Syllabi are provided to students to support their course planning; refer to the syllabus for constraints on use.

L16 Comp Lit 389

Topics in Comparative Literature: A Comparatist's Atlas

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An orientation to comparative literature by way of two endlessly generative motifs that continue to fire the literary imagination: labyrinth and maze. We will follow the thread from ancient Crete and the Minotaur through the spiritual practices of medieval Christianity to the varied verbal and visual entanglements of modernity. Primary texts will include the Roman epic of Vergil, a recent novel by Amanda Lohrey that considers the labyrinth at the Cathedral of Chartres from the vantage point of contemporary Australia, fictions of Borges and Joyce, and the cinema of Guillermo del Toro. In addition to tracing the thematic range of the labrinthine across our readings, we will analyze systematic deployments of the concept in critical theory. No prerequisites. First-year students are welcome.

A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

N/A

Unpredictable / History

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10:00A-11:20A

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Purchase

Paper/Project/TakeHome

19

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	Actions:		Books		Syllabus
	Syllabi are provided to students to support their course planning; refer to the syllabus for constraints on use.

L16 Comp Lit 394

World-wide Translation: Language, Culture, Technology

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This course considers the crucial role played by translation across the world today: from new technologies and digital media, to the global demands of professionals working in fields as diverse as literature, law, business, anthropology, and health care. We will begin our exploration of the concept of translation as a key mechanism of transmission between different languages by looking at works of literature, and film. Students will then examine how different cultures have historically required translation in their encounter with each other, studying how translation constitutes a necessary transcultural bridge both from a colonial and postcolonial point of view in different historical moments and parts of the world. The course also analyzes from practical and real-world perspectives whether concepts such as war, human rights, democracy or various illnesses have the same meaning in different societies by considering the diverse frames of reference used by linguists, lawyers, anthropologists, and medical doctors across the world. Finally, we will focus on translation from a technological perspective by examining various modes of transfer of information required for the functioning of digital tools such as Google Translate, Twitter, Duolingo, or various Iphone applications. Throughout the semester we will also examine a range of creative artworks, and various forms of digital technology and computing (AI, machine translation) related to the theory and practice of translation. Readings will include works by Jorge Luis Borges, Walter Benjamin, Gayatri Spivak, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Susan Basnett, Lawrence Venuti, Emily Apter, Gideon Lewis-Krauss, and Karen Emmerich among others. Prerequisite: None.

A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L92 394 L97 3941

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1:00P-2:20P

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Infante

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19

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L16 Comp Lit 403A

Senior Thesis Workshop

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Building / Room

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10:00A-11:20A

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Loewenstein

See instructor

6

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Senior standing required

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L16 Comp Lit 420B

Topics in Literature: Predicting a Bestseller: Computational Approaches to Publishing Trends

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Algorithms that predict the "success" of books are now commonly used in publishing (and also privately by writers and agents). The aim of the class is to use these tools to explore trends in fiction writing and publishing while also thinking critically about the limitations of implementing these tools in the literary marketplace (e.g. does it encourage homogeneity). We will use Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers' The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel as our guide through this topic. We will close-read novels that both adhere to and depart from trends among bestsellers (including Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson). Students will also gain a working familiarity with concepts in natural language processing and the programming language R. No previous programming experience is required. This course counts towards the Publishing Concentration.

A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L14 420 L14 5110 L16 520B

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10:00A-11:20A

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Kirilloff

No final

15

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L16 Comp Lit 4300

Data Manipulation for the Humanities

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The course will present basic data modeling concepts and will focus on their application to data clean-up and organization (text markup, Excel, and SQL). Aiming to give humanities students the tools they will need to assemble and manage large data sets relevant to their research, the course will teach fundamental skills in programming relevant to data management (using Python); it will also teach database design and querying (SQL). The course will cover a number of "basics": the difference between word processing files, plain text files, and structured XML; best practices for version control and software "hygiene"; methods for cleaning up data; regular expressions (and similar tools built into most word processors). It will proceed to data modeling: lists (Excel, Python); identifiers/keys and values (Excel, Python, SQL); tables/relations (SQL and/or data frames); joins (problem in Excel, solution in SQL, or data frames); hierarchies (problem in SQL/databases, solution in XML); and network graph structures (nodes and edges in CSV). It will entail basic scripting in Python, concentrating on using scripts to get data from the web, and the mastery of string handling.

EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L93 430 L16 5300 L93 530

Every 2 Years / History

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3:00P-3:50P

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Knox

No final

18

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L16 Comp Lit 449

Topics in Comparative Literature: Writing from the Periphery: The Question of Chineseness

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In this course, we will read a broad range of literary works written by ethnic Chinese from various parts of the world. We will examine the notion of "Sinophone," primarily its implications to the challenge of cultural identity formation to those Chinese who are not traditionally identified as "Chinese" because of war, migration, immigration, colonialism, among others. We will also examine the meaning of being on the margins of geopolitical nation-states. Finally we will discuss the notions of hybridity and authenticity vis-a-vis literary representation. We will read works by ethnic Chinese writers from the United States, France, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, Tibet, and so on. This course is limited to seniors and graduate students only. All readings will be in English. Active class participation is required.

A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L04 449 L16 549 L46 449 L81 449

Unpredictable / History

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2:30P-3:50P

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Chen

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	Actions:		Books		Syllabus
	Syllabi are provided to students to support their course planning; refer to the syllabus for constraints on use.

L16 Comp Lit 455C

Senior Colloquium: From Page to Stage: Opera as Omniverse

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How are characters and their stories-often non-human or im-material-embodied, envoiced, and conveyed in sung or musical theatre? How are they transformed and reinterpreted across different genres, traditions, art forms, and productions? We will explore these questions by examining influential live multi-media experiences, from opera to Broadway, that inspired controversy, required technological innovation, and featured unparalleled feats of vocal virtuosity. Students interested in music, literature, the arts, history, anthropology, medicine, philosophy, politics, and film will discover that these disciplines converge in the field of opera studies. We will discuss how these collaborative works were authored, composed, censored, cast, and staged, considering performance and reception history alongside theory and criticism. You are invited to respond to works from Mozart to Sondheim as readers, listeners, spectators, consumers, and critics. Co-taught by professors in literature and musicology. Ability to read music not necessary.

A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L93 455 L27 4550

Fall / Summer / History

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10:00A-11:20A

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Cuille', Stefaniak

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The course is required for IPH Seniors, but all interested students are welcome.

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L16 Comp Lit 4622

Topics in English Literature: The Secret Life of Things

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We all love our things -- our Supreme streetwear, Nike sneakers, Iphones -- but we rarely take time to analyze what our attachment to these things means. In this class, we will visit the origins of modern consumer culture to find some answers. We will investigate narratives that claim to be written by things, poems in which persons become things, and narrators who obsess about things. We will read these literary texts alongside works that will help us think about the nature of our attachments, about the gift, the fetish, and what it means to be a person. Our working assumption will be that the early days of commodity culture are especially revealing for insights into our relationships to things. Satisfies the Eighteenth Century requirement.

A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM E Lit: NC EN: H UColl: ENL

Instruction Type:

Classroom instruction

L14 4621 L14 5148 L46 4621

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2:30P-3:50P

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Schmidgen

No final

20

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