CWL - Comparative & World Literature

CWL Class Schedule

Courses

CWL 111   Bible as Literature   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 114 and REL 101. See REL 101.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 114   Global Consciousness and Lit   credit: 3 Hours.

Exploration of the cultural and historical roots of globalization and the development of global consciousness from ancient Greece to the present, as reflected primarily in literature, but also with reference to historiography, cartography, religion, art, politics, economics, and popular culture. Course materials including literary texts, articles, historical accounts, political tracts, films, and paintings focus on the mutual perception of, and historical relationships among Europe, the Arab world, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 117   Russ & E Euro Science Fiction   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as SLAV 117. See SLAV 117.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 122   Russia and Black America   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as AFRO 122 and RUSS 122. See RUSS 122.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

CWL 151   Cross-Cultural Thematics   credit: 3 Hours.

Explores a combination of western and non-western literature through the focus on a shared theme, exploring differences in treatment both within and among different cultures. Several thematic focuses are offered in rotation, including concepts of love and death, environmental justice, catastrophe, gender, and others. All the themes introduce students to a wide array of famous texts from different cultures and also offer some varied perspectives for their own inevitable thoughts on these major topics. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary. Students may register in more than one section per term.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 189   Literatures of the Islamic World   credit: 3 Hours.

Comparative, cross-cultural study of major literary and cultural works from the Islamic world, broadly defined, including pre-Islamic cultures and their interactions with Islamic civilization. All readings in English.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 190   Modern Asian and African Literatures   credit: 3 Hours.

Comparative, cross-cultural study of major works from the postcolonial world. Topics may include pre-colonial cultures, the impact of colonialism, decolonization, modernization, and/or globalization. All readings in English.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 191   Freshman Honors Tutorial   credit: 1 to 3 Hours.

Study of selected topics on an individually arranged basis. Open only to honors students or to Cohn Scholars and Associates. May be repeated one time. Prerequisite: Consent of departmental honors advisor.

CWL 199   Undergraduate Open Seminar   credit: 1 to 5 Hours.

Credit: 1 to 5 hours. Approved for both letter and S/U grading. May be repeated.

CWL 201   Comparative Lit Studies   credit: 3 Hours.

Introduction to various methods in comparative literary study, including genres, thematics, literary relations, literary movements, and interdisciplinary approaches.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 202   Literature and Ideas   credit: 3 Hours.

Analysis of several important world-views in Western civilization (such as classical, Romantic, modern, and so forth), studied comparatively and in relation to selected figures in Western literature.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 204   US Border Literatures and Cultures   credit: 3 Hours.

Exploration of the cultures, experiences, and conditions of people living on and around the borders of the United States. The syllabus will place particular emphasis on the US-Mexico borderlands, a space of interaction, exchange, and confrontation between diverse communities that traverse national, racial, and linguistic borders. We will examine this dynamic space through a varied array of cultural texts, including literature, film, journalism, and scholarship. Through these texts, students will gain a deepened understanding and appreciation of the Latinx and indigenous communities that live along, around, and across today’s US-Mexico border. At the end of the semester, we will turn our attention briefly to the US-Canada border – and, in particular, to the political and cultural life of indigenous peoples living along and across the present-day US-Canada border.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

CWL 205   Islam & West Through Lit   credit: 3 Hours.

Organized around major cultural/historical/religious topics presented in literature through Western and Islamic eyes, beginning with the Crusades and proceeding into the present. This course will examine stereotypes, fantasies, identifications and political opportunism promoted by the encounter between the West and the Islamic World. Prerequisite:CWL 241 and CWL 242 or one year of college literature.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 207   Indian Cinema in Context   credit: 3 Hours.

Introduction to Indian mainstream (mainly Bollywood) cinema and its evolution through the last seven decades. Topics to be explored include, but not limited to, the relation between Indian society/culture and its cinematic representations, cinema's resistance to dominant nationalist and patriarchal ideologies, its interactions with the postcolonial nation-state of India, how globalization has changed the industry. All films will be screened with subtitles. No knowledge of Hindi or any other Indian language is required. Same as MACS 207.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 208   Cultures & Literatures of South Asia   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ASST 208, REL 208 and SAME 208. See REL 208.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 209   Jewish American and US Minority Literatures in Dialogue   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as JS 209 and ENGL 222. See JS 209.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority

CWL 210   Introduction to Modern African Literature   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as AFST 210 and ENGL 211. See AFST 210.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 211   The Arab-Israeli Conflict   credit: 3 Hours.

War has been a constant shadow over the lives of Israelis and Palestinians. We will examine the history of attitudes to war and peace in the region as presented through historical documents, memoirs, political statements, poetry, film and short stories. The course explores the plurality of voices and experiences of different political groups, genders, ethnicities, religions and communities. Same as JS 211 and SAME 211.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 212   Israeli Cinema and Television   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as JS 212 and SAME 212. See JS 212.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 215   Madness, Myth, and Murder   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as SCAN 215. See SCAN 215.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 216   Legends of King Arthur   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 216 and MDVL 216. See ENGL 216.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 217   Classical Chinese Lit   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as EALC 207. See EALC 207.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 220   Exploring the Greek and Roman World   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as CLCV 220. See CLCV 220.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 221   Jewish Storytelling   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 223, JS 220, REL 220, and YDSH 220. See YDSH 220.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 223   The Qur'an (Koran)   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as REL 223, SAME 223. See REL 223.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 226   Humanist Persp of Afro-Am Exp   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as AFRO 224. See AFRO 224.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority

CWL 227   Golden Age of Russian Literature   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as RUSS 220. See RUSS 220.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 230   Popular Cultures of Contemporary East Asia   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as EALC 230. See EALC 230.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 240   Italy Middle Ages & Renaiss   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ITAL 240 and MDVL 240. See ITAL 240.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 241   Early Masterpieces of Western Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Comparative study of major works of literature, philosophy and culture in the Western tradition from the ancient world to the Renaissance, from Homer and the Bible to Shakespeare and Cervantes. Emphasis on the works as representative of their historical and cultural period, as well as how these works create the cultural world we live in today. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I general education requirement.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 242   Modern Masterpieces of Western Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Comparative study of major works of literature, philosophy and culture in the Western tradition from the Enlightenment to today, from Descartes and Voltaire to Dickinson and Calvino. Emphasis on the works as representative of their historical and cultural period, as well as how these works create the cultural world we live in today.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 249   Russian Lit and Revolution   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as RUSS 225. See RUSS 225.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 250   Grimms' Fairy Tales - ACP   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 267 and GER 250. See GER 250.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 251   Viking Mythology   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as MDVL 251, REL 251, and SCAN 251. See SCAN 251.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 252   Viking Sagas in Translation   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as MDVL 252 and SCAN 252. See SCAN 252.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 253   Medieval Literature and Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 202 and MDVL 201. See ENGL 202.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 254   Grimm's Fairy Tales in Context   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 266 and GER 251. See GER 251.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 255   Renaissance Literature and Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 204. See ENGL 204.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 257   Enlightenment Literature and Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 206. See ENGL 206.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 259   Early African American Literature and Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as AFRO 259 and ENGL 259. See ENGL 259.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

CWL 260   Modern African American Literature and Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as AFRO 260 and ENGL 260. See ENGL 260.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

CWL 262   Gender & Sexuality in Greco-Roman Antiquity   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as CLCV 240 and GWS 240. See CLCV 240.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 263   Odysseus and Other Heroes   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as CLCV 221. See CLCV 221.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 264   Introduction to Greek and Roman Theater   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as CLCV 222 and THEA 210. See CLCV 222.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 267   The Short Story   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 245. See ENGL 245.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 269   British, American, and Continental Fiction   credit: 3 Hours.

Examination of important thematic and structural relationships - influences, parallels, and variations - among selected major works of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; readings chosen from works of Bronte, Hardy, Lawrence, Woolf, James, Faulkner, Bellow, Oates, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Stendhal, Flaubert, Camus, Kafka, Mann, Hesse, Moravia, and Pavese. All works read in English. Same as ENGL 248. Prerequisite: Completion of the Composition I requirement.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 271   The Holocaust in Context - ACP   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 268 and GER 260. See GER 260.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 272   Sexuality and Literature   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as GER 270 and GWS 270. See GER 270.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 273   The Holocaust in Context   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ENGL 269, GER 261, and JS 261. See GER 261.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 275   Masterpieces of East Asian Lit   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as EALC 275. See EALC 275.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 276   Asian Film Genres   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as EALC 276 and ENGL 276. See ENGL 276.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 283   Jewish Sacred Literature   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as REL 283. See REL 283.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts

CWL 311   Japan Lit in Translation I   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as EALC 305. See EALC 305.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 312   Japan Lit in Translation II   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as EALC 306. See EALC 306.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 320   Responses to the Holocaust   credit: 3 Hours.

Course introduces a variety of Jewish and non-Jewish responses to the Holocaust created during and after the Second World War (from 1939). The discussion of Holocaust films, miniseries, memoirs, diaries, novels, short stories, poems, and other texts will focus on the unique contribution of those works to our understanding of the Holocaust. In addition, the works and their authors will be situated in their cultural and historical context. Taught in English translation. Same as ENGL 359, JS 320, REL 320, and YDSH 320.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 322   The Comic Imagination   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as CLCV 323 and THEA 323. See CLCV 323.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - Western

CWL 395   Special Topics Comp Lit I   credit: 3 Hours.

Presentation and discussion of subjects relating literature to other disciplines; topic varies. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours.

CWL 400   African Diasporic Thought in the Caribbean   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Same as AFRO 400. See AFRO 400.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - Non-West

CWL 441   Themes in Narrative   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Analysis of literary themes and types in narratives of Western and non-Western literature (e.g., the hero, east and west, dream visions), emphasizing comparative perspectives. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.

CWL 450   Topics in Bodies and Genders   credit: 3 Hours.

How do gender, sexuality, and the body emerge through cultural representations and across artistic forms? How do literature, film, and the visual arts construct gender identities in various times and places? Topics and regions vary by semester and instructor. All readings in English. Same as GWS 450. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. May be repeated up to 6 hours maximum. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

CWL 451   International Film Genres and Auteurs   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Advanced, in-depth study of either (a) cinematic genres, or (b) major film directors. Genres may include musicals, horror films, Westerns, melodrama, comedies, film noir. Auteurs will include major figures of world cinema whose influence over the medium is widespread, such as Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Vertov, Bergman. No foreign language knowledge required. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated in the same or subsequent semesters to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours if topics vary. Prerequisite: One cinema course or consent of instructor.

CWL 461   Lit Genres and Forms   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Structure and development of literary genres and forms in historical perspective (for instance, drama, parody and the grotesque, poetry, fables and fabulists, and modern fiction); essential international components and significant national variations of such genres and forms. Emphasis changes from term to term. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.

CWL 471   International Lit Relations   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Study of specific relations between authors of different countries; influences of certain works, concepts, or tastes on another work, author, or country; and literary interaction between Eastern and Western cultures. Emphasis changes from term to term. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.

CWL 481   Topics in Arabic Literature & Culture   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Studies in Arabic literature and culture of various genres, periods, and regions. Graduate students are encouraged to read the texts in the original language. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated in the same semester to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours if topics vary; May be repeated in separate semesters to a maximum of 12 undergraduate hours or 16 graduate hours if topics vary. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.

CWL 493   Senior Thesis and Honors   credit: 3 to 6 Hours.

Independent research guided by tutor(s), leading to the writing of a comparative thesis. Intended primarily for candidates for honors in comparative literature, but open to other seniors. 3 to 6 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours.

CWL 496   Special Topics in Comp Lit II   credit: 3 to 4 Hours.

Selected literary topics of international significance in relation to other cultural expressions. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 undergraduate or 12 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

CWL 501   Theory of Literature   credit: 4 Hours.

Major issues of literary theory, critical approaches, and comparative research.

CWL 502   Methods of Comparative Lit   credit: 4 Hours.

Problems and methods of cross-cultural literary studies, concentrating on the effects of historical encounters between different civilizations and on theoretical issues in comparing literatures across cultures. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.

CWL 551   Seminar Lit Movements   credit: 4 Hours.

Investigation of the development and mutation of literary movements (classicism, romanticism, symbolism, etc.) through a study of critical texts and their reception in various countries. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.

CWL 561   Seminar Genres - Forms   credit: 4 Hours.

Study of a form (the lyric, the novel, the drama, etc.) to discover its essential components in all the literatures studied and the significance of national variations. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.

CWL 571   Seminar in Literary Relations   credit: 4 Hours.

Investigation of the impact of one literature upon another, or of some specific works upon others (the role of English literature in continental Europe, the influence of Russian novelists on French and German writers, etc.). May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.

CWL 581   Seminar Lit Themes   credit: 4 Hours.

Study of a theme or type (the Faust myth, the romantic hero, etc.) to discover its essential components in all the literatures studied and the significance of national variations. The subject of the seminar varies each term. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.

CWL 582   Proseminar   credit: 4 Hours.

Introduction to comparative literature as a discipline, history and philosophy of comparative literature, and training in practical professional skills, including conference presentations, grant writing, and course development. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

CWL 599   Thesis Research   credit: 0 to 16 Hours.

Intended for students engaged in writing a thesis as a partial requirement for the M.A. or Ph.D. degree in comparative literature. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 graduate hours.