Comparative Literature

• CAS XL 222: Introduction to Comparative Literature: Western Literature (in English Translation)
  Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of influential texts of the Western tradition from antiquity to present. Topics include genre, translation, appropriation, interpretation, theories of literary production and effect. All works read in English; no prerequisites. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS XL 223: Introduction to Comparative Literature: Middle Eastern Literature (in English Translation)
  Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew literature. Readings may include The Arabian Nights, Shahnameh, lyric poetry, and novels from the twentieth century. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS XL 224: Introduction to Comparative Literature: East Asian Literature (in English Translation
  Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literature. Readings may include The Tale of the Genji, Dream of the Red Chamber, and Nine-Cloud Dream. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS XL 225: Introduction to Comparative Literature: South Asian Literature (in English translation)
  Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of South Asia from the classical, medieval, and modern traditions. Readings may include the Ramayana, Gitagovinda, devotional poetry, and novels from the twentieth century. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS XL 281: Holocaust Literature and Film (in English translation)
  Questions of representation in literature and film about the Holocaust, including testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, Ozick, and others; films include documentaries and feature films. Discussions of the Holocaust as historical reality, metaphor, and generative force in literature. Also offered as CAS RN 385.
• CAS XL 310: Topics in Classical and Modern Literature
  Selected works of modern literature read together with Greek or Latin texts that influenced them. Topic varies. All works read in English translation. Topic for Fall 2009: The Odyssey and Ulysses. Also offered as CAS CL 310.
• CAS XL 320: Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice"
  An in-depth reading of one of the most crafted and allusive short works in modern literature, together with Mann?s diverse sources from Euripides and Plato to Wagner and homoerotic photography; two films and an opera based on Mann?s story.
• CAS XL 351: The Faust Tradition
  Comparative study of the Faust theme, 1500 to present: Marlowe, Goethe, Mann, Gertrude Stein, Jan Svankmajer, others. Transmission and adaptation of literary themes within and between national traditions. Emphasis on close reading and research, use of theory and criticism. Meets with CAS LG 283.
• CAS XL 356: The Heretical Jew
  Explores heresy in the Jewish context, both in the classic sense and as a category evolving in the secular world. Topics include biblical and rabbinic heretics, early modern and Enlightenment philosophy, post- Holocaust theology, and feminist and gay/lesbian challenges to normative Judaism. Also offered as CAS RN 336.
• CAS XL 381: Topics in Gender and Literature (in English translation)
  Topic for Fall 2011: Men, Women, and Revolution in the Middle East. A diachronic, gendered examination of wars and revolutions that have shaped borders and societies in the Middle East from encounters with 19th century European colonialism to the revolutions of 2011. Analysis based on a variety of texts including social media. Also offered as CAS WS 305 C1.
• CAS XL 383: Dante's Hell (in English translation)
  A close reading of one text, Dante Alighieri's Inferno, with attention to its medieval contexts: philosophical, theological, and historical. Analysis of the poetic means by which Dante represents both human evil and human hope. Bilingual text. Lectures and discussions in English. Also offered as CAS LI 555 and CAS RN 555.
• CAS XL 386: Africa on Screen
  Introduction to the history and analysis of African film. Topics include traditional practices and social change; education; popular culture; immigration; gender roles; sexuality. Discussion of films by Sembene, Mambety, Faye, Folly, Teno, Kobhio.
• CAS XL 401: Sr Indep Work
  
• CAS XL 402: Sr Indep Work
  
• CAS XL 441: 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
  What is The Thousand and One Nights? How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences? Focus on Nights structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers.
• CAS XL 459: Primo Levi Within Holocaust Literature
  A study of Primo Levi's writings and scientific, literary, theological, and philosophical approaches to the Holocaust. Other theorists (Arendt, Wiesel, and Muller-Hill) and other survivors' testimonies (Delbo, Borowski, Fink) are read in conjunction with Levi's works. Also offered as CAS LI 459 and RN 459.
• CAS XL 470: Topics in Comparative Literature
  Four topics are offered 2011/2012. Students may take one, two, three, or four for credit. Topics for Fall 2011: Section A1: Travel Writing and the Muslim World. Study the development of the travelogue genre from its premodern to modern form. Readings include works by Muslim writers such as Nasir Khusraw and Ibn Battuta, as well as by Western travelers in Muslim lands such as Eliza Fay and Robert Byron. This section is also offered as CAS LY 470. Section B1: Marx, Nietzsche, Freud. Study of the three radical and influential German thinkers. Marx's German Ideology, Communist Manifesto, Grundrisse, Capital; Nietzsche's Beyond Good/Evil, Genealogy of Morals; Freud's Outline, Introductory Lectures, Civilization and Its Discontents. This section is also offered as CAS LG 282. Section C1: The Short Story in Theory and Practice. The short story versus the novel: Is it only a matter of length? Analysis of diverse examples of the genre itself and of what both literary theorists and practitioners of the form have had to say about it. This section is also offered as CAS EN 389. Section D1: Modern Drama. Theatre history from 1870 to 1920. Plays by Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov, Wilde, Shaw. The birth of modern techniques of acting, design, and directing. Students stage short scenes; no experience required. This section is also offered as CAS EN 355.
• CAS XL 479: Techniques of Literary Interpretation
  Focus on problems in literary criticism and theory in relation to selected literary texts. Topics and approaches vary.
• CAS XL 491: Ds Comp Lit
  
• CAS XL 492: Ds Comp Lit
  

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