Designed for the potential major in comparative literature and other interested students. Possible prerequisite to advanced courses in comparative literature. Methods of close reading of selected works of poetry, drama, and fiction, with training in analysis and critical writing. (5T) May be taken for credit only once. (Also listed as English 190. Comparative literature majors should register for Comparative Literature 190.) Offered each semester.

In this course we harness data—and the technologies used to generate them—to become more perceptive readers and better writers. Is it possible to count, or quantify, the qualitative features of writing, whether a poem, a newspaper article, or a tweet? How do we see texts and the relationships between them differently when we use visual forms and graphs, such as word clouds, n-grams, or dendrograms? In order to answer these questions, students experiment with some basic tools in the field of the Digital Humanities—e.g. digital Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) conventions—which they use to analyze their own writing as well as the writing of others. (5T) (Also listed as Writing 215.)

The topic will change from term to term, depending upon the instructor, but all will have a specifically comparative dimension and may include study of a genre, form (including film), comparison of authors, inquiry into a critical problem, exploration of a theme, or examination of a period. Students majoring in comparative literature will, when appropriate, be required to read, write, and translate using their principal language at some time during the course. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. (5T) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: Comparative Literature 190, English 190, or consent of instructor.

This course studies the processes of representation and interpretation, examining the nature and working of language, texts, and reading. It introduces various critical ideas and approaches, engaging both the contemporary field and its antecedents, and it integrates theory and practice, testing the usefulness of theoretical insights through the actual reading of literary and cultural texts. (Also listed as English 261.) Offered every spring. Prerequisite: English or Comparative Literature 190 and English 195 or 196, or consent of instructor.

The writing of a substantial paper employing a comparative critical method, which may include a section on the problems of translation and examples of translation by the student, either in the principal or secondary literature. The paper will be completed under the direction of appropriate instructors and the chair of the comparative literature program.

Individually planned programs of reading or research under the supervision of a member of the comparative literature faculty. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.