Selected works of modern literature read together with older texts that influenced them. Topic varies. All works read in English translation. Topic for Spring 2016: Global Core Texts. Study of core texts including Iliad, Ramayana, Nibelungenlied, Journey to the West, Tale of Genji, and Frankenstein, using a comparative approach. Themes include journeys, empires, allegory, the monster figure, and the transformation of those elements through translation, adaptation, and retelling.