Requirements for the Major
Additional Program Information
Courses
936 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608/262-3059; http://complit.lss.wisc.edu
Professors Adler (also German), Layoun, Saiz; Assistant Professors Livanos, Statkiewicz
Affiliate Faculty: Professors Newlands (also Classics), Santos (University of Coimbra, Portugal); Associate Professor Livorni (also French and Italian)
Director of undergraduate studies/advisor in the major: Chris Livanos, 950 Van Hise Hall, 263-3851/262-3059, clivanos@wisc.edu
Honors advisor: Chris Livanos, 950 Van Hise Hall, 263-3851/262-3059
Faculty diversity liaison: Prospero Saiz, 956 Van Hise, 262-1158/262-3059, psaiz@wisc.edu
Comparative literature is the study of literature in its original languages from an international, cross-cultural perspective. We welcome students with a wide variety of backgrounds and a diversity of interests. And we welcome as majors students with those diverse interests and backgrounds and with literary reading competence in a language in addition to English.
Comparative literature students study texts from various historical periods, geographical and cultural areas, and literary and artistic movements. They develop the ability to pose and begin to answer fundamental questions about the place of the literary text in society and in cultural traditions. Majors are introduced to specific modes of literary analysis as well as to general concepts of "literariness." Of equal importance are questions of the interaction of literature with other arts and disciplines and of the political, social, and intellectual contexts of literature. In this way, students acquire important skills in critical reading, thinking, and writing. The small size of most comparative literature classes allows ample opportunity for the discussion and exchange that are critical to the development of such skills. These classes also offer challenging research and writing projects that can be carried out individually and in small groups.
A major in comparative literature is valuable preparation for a career in any number of fields that demand careful analysis, clear writing, the presentation of logical arguments, and the critical assessment of the written and oral opinions of others—law, business, communications, politics and diplomacy, journalism, technical writing, or publishing. And it is ideal for those students interested in teaching at the secondary level or in pursuing a graduate degree.
To declare the major in comparative literature, students must have sophomore standing, have taken at least one 200-level course in the department, and have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Prospective majors are urged to meet with the director of undergraduate studies in advance of declaring the major to discuss the requirements. Declared majors are strongly encouraged to meet with the director of undergraduate studies in planning their courses for the next semester. Seniors must arrange a meeting early in the fall semester to assess whether they will have met all requirements for graduation. Please obtain and bring with you a current degree summary from the registrar's office before meeting with the director of undergraduate studies.
The major requires a total of 30 credits (32 for honors) in comparative literature, plus 9 credits in literature in a single foreign language for a total of 39 credits (41 for Honors). Literary fluency in a language other than English is the basis for comparative literary work. The 30 credits (32 credits for Honors majors) in the department must include:
6 credits (two classes) from the 200-level sequence (Comp Lit 201, 202, or 203); or 8 credits (two classes) from the 200-level honors sequence (Comp Lit 287, 288, or 289);
two courses in criticism or theory (Comp Lit 310, 371, or 475);
the Comparative Literature Proseminar (Comp Lit 690, typically offered every spring semester);
9 credits in literature courses in a single foreign language, taken in the relevant foreign language department, and with a final grade of B or better in each course. Independent study or literature in translation courses will not count toward this requirement.
The Senior Honors Thesis (Comp Lit 681-682, for a total of 6 credits) is required for honors majors; the Senior Thesis (Comp Lit 691-692, for a total of 6 credits) is strongly recommended (though not required) for non-honors majors. The thesis can be started or completed during a summer semester if a faculty director is willing.
Introduction to Literary Criticism (Comp Lit 310) is strongly advised as a bridge between the 200-level courses and the 300- and 400-level courses.
Work in the major must show a degree of continuity. The exact configuration of courses in the major will be determined individually for each student in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.
Majors are strongly encouraged to maintain an average GPA of 3.25 for course work in the major.
All students are required to fulfill the L&S requirement of at least 15 credits of upper-level work in the major completed in residence. Any course in the department numbered 300 or above will count toward this requirement.
Students are urged to fulfill the university breadth requirements with courses relevant to the program in the major.
Courses in comparative literature fall into four general classes:
Introductory courses (numbered 201-299) are based entirely on English-language texts or English translations of foreign language texts. These courses are restricted to undergraduates.
General courses (numbered 300-400) are open to undergraduates. The course texts are in English, but majors and other students who are able to do so are expected to work with one foreign literature in the original language.
More specialized courses (numbered 400-699) are open to both undergraduate and (with the exception of Comp Lit 690, the undergraduate proseminar) graduate students. Texts used in the course require the knowledge of at least one foreign language.
Graduate courses (numbered 700-999), open only to graduate students, involve increasing use of foreign literatures both in the classroom work and in individual work. These courses are not listed in this catalog but may be found in the Graduate School Catalog.
Courses 201-310 and 690 will be offered regularly; courses 341-680 are offered on a rotating basis. Please check with the department office for information on specific courses.
201 Introduction to Pre-Modern Literatures/Impact on the Modern World. I or II or SS; 3 cr (L-E). Critical study of pre-modern literatures from the ancient worlds to the Middle Ages; broad survey covering many national literatures, stressing cross-cultural literary relations and their impact on the modern world. P: Open to Fr; not open to stdts who have taken Comp Lit 287.
202 Introduction to Modern and Contemporary Literature. I or II or SS; 3 cr (L-E). Critical study of modern literature, from the 15th century to the 20th century; broad survey covering many national literatures, stressing cross-cultural literary relations and including emergent literatures. P: Open to Fr; not open to stdts who have taken Comp Lit 288.
203 Introduction to Cross-Cultural Literary Forms. I or II or SS; 3 cr (L-E). Introduction to the critical study of specific literary forms (e.g., comedy, short story) and the connections between literary forms and other cultural and artistic phenomena (e.g., cinema, TV, music, visual arts). P: This crse is non-repeatable for comp lit majors. Open to Fr.
205 Intro to Comparative Study of Race & Ethnicity, In & Beyond the U.S. I or II; 3 cr (e-L-E). Comparative analysis of the modern categories of race and ethnicity as they have developed and are understood and practiced in diverse locations; course readings will include literary and non-literary texts and a 25%- 50% focus on race and ethnicity in the U.S. P: Satisfaction of or exemption from Comm A requirement. Open to Fr.
236 Bascom Course. I or II; 3 cr (b-E). A low-enrollment course developing skills in critical reading, logical thinking, use of evidence, and use of library resources. Emphasis on writing in the conventions of specific fields. P: Successful completion of or exemption from Com A requirement. Open to Fr.
287 Masterpieces of Literature for Honors I. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (b-L-E). Critical study of basic literary texts from antiquity through the Middle Ages; dual emphasis on texts as complex discursive structures and as bearers of historically and socially conditioned ideologies. P: Admission to hon prog or cons inst. Open to Fr; not open to stdts who have taken Comp Lit 207.
288 Masterpieces of Literature for Honors II. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (b-L-E). Critical study of basic literary texts from the early modern period through the present; dual emphasis on texts as complex discursive structures and as bearers of historically and socially conditioned ideologies. P: Admission to hon prog or cons inst. Open to Fr; not open to stdts who have taken Comp Lit 208.
289 Introduction to Literary Forms for Honors. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (b-L-E). Comparative study of selected literary forms, their techniques, and the problems of their analysis and interpretation. P: Admission to honors program or cons inst. Open to Fr.
310 Introduction to Literary Criticism. I or II; 3-4 cr (H-I). Critical methodologies of comparative literature. General theories of literature and distinct approaches to literary texts. Required for the major. P: So st and 6 cr of intro lit or con reg. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
341 Women and Literature. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-D). Critical examination of the active and passive roles of women in the international literary tradition, with attention to women writers placed in historical, ideological, and cross-cultural perspectives. P: Jr st or completion of 2 semesters of lit. Lecture only: 3cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
351 Lyric. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Comparative study of lyric poetry as a genre; its history, social functions, and critical-theoretical discussion, and the problems of its analysis and interpretation. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
352 Epic. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Comparative study of the narrative poem as a genre, its social functions and its critical-theoretical discussion, and the problems of its analysis and interpretation. P: Jr st or completion of 2 semesters of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
353 Drama. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Comparative study of tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, farce, and/or musical-theatrical forms; attention to modes of action, dramatic language and the form of the play; and the problems of its critical analysis and interpretation. P: Jr st or completion of 2 semesters of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
354 Novel and Short Story. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Prose fiction and its varieties on a comparative basis; plot, characterization, and the relations of theme and setting in narrative. P: Jr st or completion of 2 semesters of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
356 Nonfiction and Prose. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Comparative analysis of modes and genres of nonfiction, such as the essay, reportage, and history; emphasis placed on the implications of applying methods of literary analysis to non-literary texts. P: Jr st or completion of 2 semesters of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
358 Problems in Genre and Mode. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Comparative study of the nature and substance of genre distinctions and the relations between mode and genre in literature; emphasis on the critical analysis of literary texts and the problems thereof. P: Jr st or completion of 2 semesters of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
368 Literature and Ideas. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Historical, analytical and theoretical study of the impact and relevance of seminal concepts and ideas. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
371 Literary Criticism. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Introduction to the basic trends and schools of literary criticism; in-depth study of representative critics from past centuries and from major contemporary schools. P: Six cr of literature or cons inst. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
372 Literary Movements and Trends. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Comparative study of literary movements and trends to define the principles uniting literary texts in a coherent group, while accounting for the breadth of individual or national variations. Connections are developed with relevant debates in aesthetics, philosophy, and other disciplines. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
374 Bilateral Literary Relations. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Study of one national literature in relation to another national literature. Attention will be paid to the impact or influence each has had upon the other, usually during a specific historical period. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
375 Literature and Related Disciplines. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Critical, analytical and theoretical examination of the methodological and practical application of non-literary disciplines to the study of literature in an international context. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
377 Literary Periods. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Comparative study of the literature of well-defined historical epochs in terms of international and interlinguistic relations, the flux of ideas, forms, and styles. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
378 Literary Backgrounds. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Comparative study of literary, historical, political and philosophical articulations of notions and ideas underlying particular literary tendencies. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
379 Literature and Ethnic Experience. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-I). Attempts to define through comparative analysis the ways in which ethnicity is constructed and problematized in literary texts. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
466 Literature and the Other Arts. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-D). Comparative study of the theoretical and practical interaction of literature and/or music, visual and plastic arts, cinema, and forms of total art in a coherent intellectual framework. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
473 Thematics. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-D). Comparative study of the creation and perpetuation of themes and motifs in different cultural contexts, and the problems of their analysis and interpretation in specific literary (and other) works. P: Jr st or completion of 2 sem of lit. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
475 Poetics and Literary Theory. I or II or SS; 3-4 cr (L-D). Study of the changes and development of the systematics, theoretics, and mechanics of literary form and utterance. P: Six cr of lit or cons inst. Lecture only: 3 cr; lecture and disc: 4 cr.
699 Directed Study. I or II or SS; 1-6 cr (A). P: Graded on a lettered basis; requires permission of dept chrmn.