World Literature

Objective

This course introduces students to some of the most influential theories of Comparative Literature, which are studied alongside a selection of texts from different genres from a variety of cultures and nations around the world. Students are given the opportunity to hone their close reading skills by studying a selection of contemporary world literature spanning from 1960s to 2010s across a range of genres including novels, poetry, drama, short stories, and autobiographies. It offers students the unique opportunity to analyze in detail different ways in which cultural backgrounds can shape literary productions, and how stories, motifs and themes travel across national boundaries.

Outcomes

• Knowledge and Comprehension
• Discuss  the diversity of World Literature and the characteristics of each genre within their sociopolitical and historical background.
• Skills
• Analyze representative literary texts using various strands of theoretical approaches.
• Present critical views toward global literature effectively in speech and/or in writing.
• Values
• Demonstrate self-discipline, ethical standards and academic integrity in performing assigned tasks.

Content

• Introduction to World Literature
• [Nigeria – Novel] Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart
• [India – short story] Mahasweta Devi’s The Hunt
• [Japan –  Haiku Poetry]  Matsuo Basho
• [Exile and identity Poetry]
• “Home" by British-Somali poet Warsan Shire
• “Emails from Scheherazad “by Syrian-American Mohja Kahf
• Khalil Gibran: “A Poet’s Death in his Life”; “Reason and Passion”
• [Mexico – autobiography] Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street
• [Trinidad- play] Derek Walcott’s Pantomime

Textbook

• Saussy, H. (2015). Introducing Comparative Literature: New trends and Application. London & New York: Routledge.
• Damrosch, D. (2017). How to read world literature. John Wiley & Sons.
• Casanova, P. (2004). The world republic of letters. Harvard University Press.
• Lawall, S. N., & Mack, M. (2002). The Norton anthology of world literature (Vol. 6). New York: Norton.

Course ID: ENGL 304