WLIT 202/402 – Introduction to Greek Poetry
Paul Hay
MWF 11:40-12:30

Primarily readings from Homer, Hesiod, and Theocritus. Selections from Greek lyric may be introduced at the instructor’s discretion.  Offered as GREK 202, GREK 402, WLIT 202, and WLIT 402.

 

WLIT 203 – Gods and Heroes in Greek Literature
Timothy Wutrich
TR 11:30-12:45

This course examines major works of Greek literature and sets them in their historical and cultural context. Constant themes are war, wandering, tyranny, freedom, community, family, and the role of men and women within the household and the ancient city-state. Parallels with modern life and politics will be explored. Lectures and discussions. Offered as CLSC 203 and WLIT 203. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

 

WLIT 211 – World Literature I
Florin Berindeanu
TR 10:00-11:15

Survey of literature from antiquity to 1600. May include Western and non-Western texts by Homer, Vergil, Ovid, St. Augustine, Dante, Boccaccio, Rabelais, Cervantes, Sei Shonagon, Basho, and the Baghavad Gita.

 

WLIT 220 – Classical Tradition 1: Renaissance and Baroque (14th to 17th Centuries)
Florin Berindeanu
TR 11:30-12:45

Through lectures, varied assignments, and visits to the Cleveland Museum of Art this course will introduce students to the major issues in the study of early modern art and literatures.  The emphasis will inevitably be on Italy, as the place where the physical remains of ancient Rome confronted and inspired such remarkable masters as Michelangelo (as poet and artist), Palladio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Nicholas Poussin (Bernini and Poussin are represented in the CMAI), though some artists — notably Leonardo — resisted the lure of the classical past.  From Italy new ideas spread to the rest of Europe and beyond.  We will not have much time to study Shakespeare in the course, but we will not be able to ignore the greatest author of the Renaissance period.  Like Shakespeare, we will move between the court and the city, between scenes of often-endangered order and scenes of sometimes-productive disorder, in which classical models provided a key cultural and even psychological resource in challenging times. Recommended preparation: CLSC 232. Offered as CLSC 220 and WLIT 220. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

 

WLIT 224 – Sword and Sandal: The Classics in Film
Evelyn Adkins
TR 11:30-12:45

Gladiator.  Alexander.  The 300.  Contemporary society’s continuing fascination with putting the ancient world on the big screen is undeniable; and yet the causes underlying this phenomenon are not quite so readily apparent.  In this course we will watch and discuss a number of movies about the ancient world, running the gamut from Hollywood classics such as Ben-Hur and Spartacus to more recent treatments (the aforementioned 300 and Gladiator, for starters), and from the mainstream and conventional (Clash of the Titans, Disney’s Hercules) to the far-out and avant-garde (Fellini’s Satyricon, anyone?).  As we do so we’ll learn quite a bit about the art and economics of film, on one hand, and the ancient world, on the other.  And yet what we’ll keep coming back to are the big questions: what does our fascination with the ancient Mediterranean tell us about ourselves as a society?  Why do such movies get made, and what kinds of agendas do they serve?  To what extent can we recapture the past accurately?  And if we can’t, are we doomed to just endlessly projecting our own concerns and desires onto a screen, and dressing them in togas?  No knowledge of ancient languages is required for this course.
Offered as CLSC 224 and WLIT 224.

 

WLIT 225 – Japanese Popular Culture
Margaret Fitzgerald
MW 3:20-4:35

This course highlights salient aspects of modern Japanese popular culture as expressed in animation, comics and literature. The works examined include films by Hayao Miyazaki, writings by Kenji Miyazawa, Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, among others. The course introduces students to essential aspects of modern Japanese popular culture and sensibility. Offered as JAPN 225 and WLIT 225. Fulfills the Global & Cultural Diversity Requirement.

 

WLIT 241/441 – Latin Prose Authors
Evelyn Adkins
TR 10:00-11:15

Reading and discussion of such prose authors as Cicero, Caesar, Livy or Pliny.  Offered as LATN 201, LATN 401, WLIT 241 and WLIT 441. Prereq: LATN 102 or equivalent.

 

WLIT 295 – The Francophone World
Gilbert Doho
MW 12:45-2:00

The course offers an introduction to the Francophone World from a historical, cultural, and literary perspective. The Francophone World includes countries and regions around the globe with a substantial French-speaking population (and where French is sometimes, but not always, an official language): North America (Louisiana, Quebec, and Acadia); North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt); the Middle-East (Lebanon, Syria); the Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti); Southeast Asia (Vietnam); and Europe (France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg). FRCH 295 provides a comprehensive overview of the Francophone World, while focusing on a particular area or areas in any given semester. Offered as ETHS 295, FRCH 295, and WLIT 295.

 

WLIT 306/406 – Tragedy
Rachel Sternberg
MWF 2:15-3:05

Reading and interpretation of selected plays of Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles. Offered as GREK 306, GREK 406, WLIT 306, and WLIT 406.


WLIT 324/424 – The Sublime and Grotesque in Literature
Florin Berindeanu
TR 1:00-2:15

Early on in Western culture the question of sublime and grotesque was addressed by philosophers and writers. Aristotle and especially Longinus initiated the debate over what exactly made a work of art “sublim” or “Grotesque.”  This debate eventually in the 18th century gave birth to the discipline of aesthetics, which is one of the main foci of this course. To that end, in this course we will examine a few literary works in light of the most representative theories around the concept of sublime and grotesque: Aristotle, Longinus, Kant, Burke, Baumgartner, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. Their theories will be applied to some of the most celebrated literary masterpieces written by Homer, Ovid, Dante, Cervantes and others. Offered as CLSC 324, CLSC 424, WLIT 324 and WLIT 424. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

 

WLIT 333/433 – Contemporary Caribbean Literature
Damaris Punales-Alpizar
TR 8:30-9:45

In addition to developing a general familiarity with the literature and history of this region, students will acquire an awareness of the interrelation of national identity, memory, and language in the texts produced by contemporary Caribbean authors, and of the cultural hybridity characteristic of this production. The themes treated by these authors include colonialism and post-colonialism, cultural and religious syncretism, and sexual politics. Offered as SPAN 333, SPAN 433, ETHS 333, WLIT 333 and WLIT 433. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

 

WLIT 354/454 – Drama
Paul Iversen
TR 10:00-11:15

Reading of at least one play each by Plautus and Terence. Attention to the history of Latin and Greek New Comedy, and the contrasting styles of the two authors. Offered as LATN 354, LATN 454, WLIT 354, and WLIT 454.

 

WLIT 358/458 – Latin American Cinema
Marta Copertari
MW 12:45-2:00

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic tools of film analysis as well as to the major trends and movements in Latin American cinema from the 1960s to the present.  Through the analysis of representative films from Latin America, the course will examine the development of a variety of cinematic styles, paying particular attention to the historical contexts in which the films were produced and to the political, cultural, and aesthetic debates that surrounded their production.
Offered as SPAN 358, SPAN 458, ETHS 358, WLIT 358 and WLIT 458. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

 

WLIT 360 – Development of Theater: Beginnings to English Renaissance
Robert Ullom
MWF 11:40-12:30

This course explores the foundations of theater in Western civilization, beginning with Greece and then charting and analyzing the developments in playwriting, design, acting and theater architecture.  Students read a wide variety of plays in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the history of the art form, but also learn how theater has played an integral societal function as a medium of political, economic, and cultural commentary.  Development of Theater I explores developments from Aeschylus to the English Renaissance.  Offered for undergraduates as THTR 325 and WLIT 360.  Students who have taken THTR 228/WLIT 228 are not allowed to enroll in this course. Offered as THTR 325, WLIT 360, and THTR 425. Prereq: At least a Sophomore standing.

 

WLIT 365N/465N – Topics in African-American Literature
Thrity Umrigar
TBA

Selected topics and writers from nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first century African-American literature.  May focus on a genre, a single author or a group of authors, a theme or themes.  Maximum 6 credits. Offered as ENGL 365N, ETHS 365N, WLIT 365N, ENGL 465N, and WLIT 465N. Prereq: ENGL 150 or passing letter grade in a 100 level first year seminar in FSCC, FSNA, FSSO, FSSY, FSTS, or FSCS. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

 

WLIT 375 – Russian Literature in Translation
Tatiana Zilotina
MWF 2:15-3:05

Topics vary according to student and faculty interest. May include Russian classical and modern literature, cinema, women writers, individual authors. May count towards Russian minor. No knowledge of Russian required. Offered as RUSN 375 and WLIT 375. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

 

WLIT 387/487 – Literary and Critical Theory
William Marling
TBA

A survey of major schools and texts of literary and critical theory. May be historically or thematically organized. Maximum 6 credits. Offered as ENGL 387, WLIT 387, ENGL 487, and WLIT 487. Prereq: ENGL 150 or passing letter grade in a 100 level first year seminar in FSCC, FSSO, FSSY, FSTS, or FSCS.