WLIT 201 – Greek Prose Authors
Rachel Sternberg
M.W.F. 11:40-12:30

Readings from authors such as Plato, Lysias, Xenophon, and Herodotus.
Offered as GREK 201, GREK 401, WLIT 201 and WLIT 401.

WLIT 204 – Heroes and Hustlers in Roman Literature
Timothy Wutrich
T.R. 4:00-5:15

This course constitutes the second half of a sequence on Classical literature.  Its main themes are heroism vs. self-promotion, love vs. lust, and the struggle between democracy and tyranny.  These topics are traced in a variety of literary genres from the period of the Roman republic well into the empire.  Parallels with modern life and politics will be drawn. Offered as CLSC 204 and WLIT 204. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement.

WLIT 212 – World Literature II
Florin Berindeanu
T.R. 10:00-11:15

Survey of literature from 1600 to present. May include Western and non-Western texts by Swift, Voltaire, Rousseau, Tolstoi, Baudelaire, Austen, Mann, Kafka, Lispector, Marmon Silko, Soyinka.

WLIT 222 – Classical Tradition 2: Birth of Archaeology
Florin Berindeanu
T.R. 11:30-12:45

The course will focus on the history of diverse methods for studying societies remote in time and space; i.e., on the formation of the distinct disciplines of archaeology and anthropology, and the interest in the origins of human society and cultural practices. The birth of archaeology occurred in the context of the profound transformation of European cultural life in the eighteenth century, the era of the Enlightenment. On the basis of a range of cultural productions (literary and historical texts, objects of luxury and use, etc.), we will study visual and literary works and consider the relationship between different modes of artistic production and expression, as well as the marketing and display of prestigious objects, whether ancient or modern. We will consider the eighteenth-century model of experiential education, the “Grand Tour,” and the formation of private and public collections, as well as the emergence of the museum as institution. Finally, we will also consider important recent work on the relationship between the production of luxury commodities (sugar, coffee, tea, etc.) through the plantation economy in the Americas and beyond and the development of attitudes and ideas in Europe. Offered as CLSC 222 and WLIT 222. Fulfills the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement.

 

WLIT 225 – Japanese Popular Culture
Yuki Togawa Gergotz
T.R. 2:30-3:45

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 CAS Global & Cultural Diversity Requirement.

 

WLIT 232 – Vergil
Timothy Wutrich
T.R. 2:30-3:45

Primarily readings from The Aeneid; selections from Vergil’s other work may be introduced at instructor’s discretion. Recommended preparation: LATN 201 or equivalent. Offered as LATN 202, LATN 402, WLIT 232 and WLIT 432.

WLIT 255 – Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
Takao Hagiwara
T.R. 1:00-2:15

Focus on the major genres of modern Japanese literature, including poetry, short story, and novel (shosetsu). No knowledge of Japanese language or history is assumed. Lectures, readings, and discussions are in English. Films and slides complement course readings. Offered as JAPN 255 and WLIT 255. Fulfills the CAS Global & Cultural Diversity Requirement.

 

WLIT 322 – Roman Drama and Theater
Timothy Wutrich
M.W. 3:20-4:35

This course is designed as a continuation of and companion to CLSC/WLIT 316/416 Greek Tragedy in English Translation, although it may be taken without having taken, or before having taken, that course. Students in Roman Drama and Theater will read a significant number of ancient Roman plays in modern English translation and study non-literary theatrical entertainment of the Roman Republic and Empire, such as mime and pantomime, gladiatorial shows, and other spectacles. The dramatic texts that we shall study include the fragments of early Latin drama, selected comedies by Plautus and Terence, and the tragedies of Seneca. We shall also consider Greek and Roman literature that comments on Roman theatrical practices. These works will be read for their literary merits and theatrical possibilities, while at the same time examining them for what they can tell us about Roman culture and society. Similarly, when studying the non-literary theatrical works we shall examine historical and theatrical context including archaeological evidence from theaters and amphitheaters and material remains (masks, depictions of actors and gladiators on vases, terra cotta lamps, mosaics, etc.). Finally, while most of the course focuses on drama originally written in Latin and theatrical entertainments performed in ancient Rome, the course will include a survey of selected post-classical works indebted to the tradition of Roman drama and theater. Thus, a secondary concern will be to consider how and in what ways the legacy of Roman drama and theater has continued to shape the dramatic arts since antiquity. Offered as CLSC 322, CLSC 422, WLIT 322, and WLIT 422. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

WLIT 331 – Dante and the Classical Tradition: Middle Ages into Modernity
Florin Berindeanu
T.R. 1:00-2:15

“Dante and the Classical Tradition” will introduce through the complex work of Dante the concept of classical tradition as an all-encompassing cultural term. Dante represents the grandiose example of the artist who seeks the complete synthesis between humanities and sciences and their incessant collaborative effort to broaden as much as possible the depths of human knowledge. Philosophy, Geography, Physics, Linguistics, Astronomy and Literature are steady landmarks in Dante’s work through which he aims to speak about the necessity of ever maintaining continuity between all domains of human knowledge. Dante’s work proposes high levels of excellence and while the course’s focus will be on his literary output the scientific interests and treatises he demonstrates will not be omitted during class discussion and bibliography included in the syllabus. Last but not least the focus will be on how we understand today the concept of classical tradition as a result of Dante’s writings.
Offered as CLSC 331, CLSC 431, WLIT 331 and WLIT 431. Fulfills Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

WLIT 336 – Elegiac Poetry
Paul Hay
M.W. 12:45-2:00

In this course we shall translate and interpret selected elegies by Catullus, Tibulius, Propertius, and Ovid.  We will also devote considerable class time to the reading and in-depth analysis of the major secondary literature, starting with the introductory pieces in the newest companions published by Brill and Cambridge, and moving on to fundamental articles and perhaps even a full scholarly monograph.  Offered as LATN 356, LATN 456, WLIT 336, and WLIT 436.

WLIT 342 – Latin American Feminist Voices
Marta Copertari
T.R. 11:30-12:45

Examination of the awakening of feminine and feminist consciousness in the literary production of Latin American women writers, particularly from the 1920s to the present.  Close attention paid to the dominant themes of love and dependency; imagination as evasion; alienation and rebellion; sexuality and power; the search for identity and the self-preservation of subjectivity.  Readings include prose, poetry, and dramatic texts of female Latin American writers contributing to the emerging of feminist ideologies and the mapping of feminist identities. Offered as SPAN 342, SPAN 442, ETHS 342, WGST 342, WLIT 342, and WLIT 442.

 

WLIT 355 – Modern Japanese Novels and the West
Takao Hagiwara
T.R. 2:30-3:45

This course will compare modern Japanese and Western novellas, drama, and novels. Comparisons will focus on the themes of family, gender and alienation, which subsume a number of interrelated sub-themes such as marriage, home, human sexuality, amae (dependence), innocence, experience, death, God/gods, and nature (the ecosystem). Offered as JAPN 355,WLIT 355. Counts as SAGES Departmental Seminar. Fulfills the CAS Global & Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

WLIT 368 – Topics in Film: The Horror Film
Robert Spadoni
T.R. 4:00-5:15
R. 7:00-9:30

WLIT 375 – Russian Literature in Translation
Tatiana Zilotina
T.R. 4:00-5:15

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 CAS Global & Cultural Diversity Requirement. 

WLIT 391 – Introduction to Text Semiotics
Florin Berindeanu
M.W. 12:45-2:00

Introduction to Text Semiotics addresses both students of Literature and students in Cognitive Science.  Most of the authors included in the reading list extend their linguistic approach towards fields that intersect literature, psychology, philosophy, aesthetics, and anthropology.  The scholarly traditions of text analysis and structural theory of meaning, including authors from classical formalism, structuralism, structural semiotics, and new criticism will be connected to cognitive theories of meaning construction in test, discourse, and cultural expressions in general.  The focus of this course, taught as a seminar, is on empirical studies, specific text analyses, discourse analyses, speech act analyses, and other studies of speech, writing, and uses of language in cultural contexts.  This course thus introduces to a study of literature and cultural expressions based on cognitive science and modern semiotics–the new view that has be coined Cognitive Semiotics. Offered as COGS 391 and WLIT 391. This introduction to Text Semiotics has a counterpart in the Introduction to General Semiotics (COGS 390).