Comparative and World Literature
College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Dean: Dr. Andrew Harris
Department of Comparative and World Literature
Humanities Building, Room 377
Phone: (415) 338-2068
Email: wclit@sfsu.edu
Website: http://complit.sfsu.edu/
Interim Chair: Dane Johnson
Undergraduate Advisors: D. Johnson, S. Khanmohamadi, E. Peel, C. Weinberger
Undergraduate Coordinator: Dane Johnson
Graduate Coordinator: Shirin Khanmohamadi
Program Scope
Comparative Literature is a way of studying world literature. It is a literary discipline designed to go beyond the chronological, geographic, and linguistic boundaries of individual national literatures.
Undergraduate Program
The Bachelor of Arts and Minor in Comparative and World Literature are interdisciplinary programs that provide students with a global perspective through the reading and analysis of literatures from multiple traditions. Students develop a university-level understanding of what different cultures have in common as well as what makes each culture unique. The study of comparative literature also seeks to establish relationships between literature and other fields, from the arts and sciences to folklore and religion. In addition to taking courses in comparative literature and various national literatures (in the original languages and translation), students also learn methods and techniques of literary analysis and comparison.
Graduate Program
The Master of Arts in Comparative Literature combines the objectives of graduate study in foreign languages and literature with an emphasis on the intercultural and international aspects of literature. The goal of the program is to provide graduate training in subjects common to more than one national literature. Research work in the program is directed toward the problems of literary theory and analysis, genre studies, and literary history.
Career Outlook
The B.A. and Minor in Comparative and World Literature are designed for students who wish to gain an interdisciplinary and broad liberal arts education. The undergraduate degree also provides a sound foundation for students who wish to continue work in literature at the graduate level or to pursue graduate study in other areas. Students find that the program provides a rich background for teaching in English, foreign languages and literature, the humanities, and liberal arts, as well as for other varied careers.
The graduate degree in Comparative Literature is of particular value for students who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in comparative literature, English, foreign language and literature, interdisciplinary humanities, or who plan to teach at the middle school, high school, or community college levels.
Professor
Dane Johnson (1995), Professor in Comparative and World Literature. Ph.D. Stanford University.
Persis Karim (2017), Professor in Comparative and World Literature, Neda Nobari Distinguished Chair, Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies. Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin.
Shirin A. Khanmohamadi (2005), Professor in Comparative and World Literature. Ph.D. Columbia University.
Associate Professor
Christopher S. Weinberger (2009), Associate Professor in Comparative and World Literature. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley.
CWL 180 Introduction to Videogames: A Comparative Perspective (Units: 3)
Interdisciplinary examination of videogames as creative and aesthetic objects, psychological and social experiences, cultural expressions, economic commodities, forums of interaction, platforms for storytelling and communication, opportunities for ethical inquiry, sites of identity construction, and instances of collaboration. Explores issues of genre, design, aesthetics, representation, storytelling, social justice, and more. Includes team-taught lessons from scholars of Design, Cinema, Music, History, Philosophy, Communication Studies, and Comparative and World Literature.
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- C2: Humanities
CWL 214 Second Year Written Composition: Comparative and World Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent with a grade of CR or C- or better.
Course Attributes:
- A4: Written English Comm II
CWL 216 Telling Stories: How the World Writes "You" (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: GE Area A2* with a grade of C- or better.
Course Attributes:
- E: Lifelong Learning Develop
- Global Perspectives
CWL 220 Reading Beyond Boundaries: An Introduction to Comparing Literatures (Units: 3)
Reading literature from diverse times and places to discover the relevance of literary representation for contemporary life. Covers basics of literary analysis, examination of genres, and comparative methodology to uncover the significances and effects of literary representation. [Formerly CWL 210]
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.
- C2: Humanities
CWL 230 World Literature (Units: 3)
Literary classics of the world, their cultural backgrounds, and their place in the history of ideas from a variety of genres and national literatures.
Course Attributes:
- C2: Humanities
- C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.
- Global Perspectives
CWL 250 Fables and Tales (Units: 3)
Development from folklore and parable of fables and tales. Narrative forms such as the animal fable, fairy tale, and remarkable voyage. Exploration of central themes and techniques in the tradition of didactic and fantastic fiction.
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.
- C2: Humanities
CWL 260 Myths of the World (Units: 3)
Investigation of different mythologies including their interpretation and significance to world literature.
Course Attributes:
- C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.
- Global Perspectives
- C2: Humanities
CWL 270 Fantasy and Fiction: Exploring Parallel Worlds (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent.
Course Attributes:
- C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.
- C2: Humanities
CWL 275 Reading Video Games (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: First-year composition or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as ENG 275 and CWL 275. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- C2: Humanities
- C3 or C2: Humanities/Lit.
CWL 380 Thinking with Video Games (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* with grades of C- or better.
CWL 400GW Approaches to Comparative and World Literature - GWAR (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: GE Area A2.
Course Attributes:
- Graduation Writing Assessment
CWL 420 Studies in Comparative Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.
Topics:
- Ethics, Alterity, and the Novel
- Psychoanalytic Approaches to Literature
- Love Letters: Desire and the Novel
- Travel and the Literary Imagination
- Modernism and Desire
CWL 421 Celtic Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
CWL 422 Imagining the Constructed Body: From Statues to Cyborgs (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Global Perspectives
CWL 423 Going Medieval: Medieval Literature and Contemporary Adaptations (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as CWL 423 and HUM 423. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
CWL 424 Multicultural Middle Ages (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as CWL 424 and HUM 424. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
CWL 426 Literary Orients and Orientalisms, Classical to Contemporary (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as CWL 426 and HUM 426. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
CWL 427 Travel and the Literary Imagination (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division standing; GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, B4*, and E* all with grades of C- or better; or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as CWL 427 and HUM 427. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
CWL 430 Heroic Tales of the Mediterranean (Units: 3)
Heroic narratives, in poetry and prose, provide the means for examining aspects of the ancient, medieval, and modern cultures of the eastern Mediterranean and Near East.
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
CWL 432 From Ghost Stories to Short Stories: Japanese Fiction in Comparative Contexts (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as CWL 432 and HUM 532. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
CWL 437 Holocaust and Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better; ENG 216* or ENG 218* or equivalent; or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as JS 437, ENG 533, and CWL 437. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Social Justice
- Global Perspectives
CWL 440 "Typical American": Narratives of Multiculturalism in the Americas from 1492 to the Present (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Global Perspectives
CWL 450 Literary Crossings (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
CWL 451 Jewish Literature of the Americas (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as JS 451, CWL 451, and ENG 451. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
CWL 452 Forster, Durrell, and Cavafy (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as MGS 452, CWL 452, and ENG 452. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Global Perspectives
CWL 465 Modern Greek Poetry in Comparative Perspective (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Restricted to English: Concentration in English Education and Creative Writing majors.
(This course is offered as MGS 465, CWL 465, and C W 465. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
CWL 480 European Jewish Writers (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as JS 480 and CWL 480. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- Social Justice
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Global Perspectives
CWL 515 The Uncanny in World Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: CWL 400GW recommended.
CWL 520 Modern Prose of the Americas (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; CWL 400GW or other GWAR course recommended.
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
CWL 525 The Partial Magic of Metafiction (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: ENG 214 or consent of instructor.
CWL 540 Faulkner, García Márquez, and Morrison (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: CWL 400GW or another GWAR course is recommended.
CWL 690 Editing and Publishing the Comparative Literature Journal (Units: 1-3)
Prerequisite: Comparative Literature majors or minors or permission of the department.
CWL 697 Honor's Thesis (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: Comparative Literature majors and permission of the department.
CWL 699 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)
Prerequisite: Permission of the department chair and instructor.
Topics:
- Independent Study
CWL 746 Seminar: Opera and Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: ENG 741 (may be taken concurrently) or permission of the instructor.
(This course is offered as ENG 746 and CWL 746. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
CWL 800 Introduction to Graduate Study in Comparative Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
CWL 815 Seminar: Topics in Critical Theory (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Topics:
- Theory and the Premodern Text
- Ethics in Literature, Theory, and Criticism
- Literary Value
- Narrative Theory in Comparative Literature
CWL 820 Topics in Comparative Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Topics:
- Literatures of Diaspora and Migration
- Experiments in Reading 21st-Century World Fiction
- Novel Mirrors: Global Metafiction
- 20th-Century Comparative American Literary Studies
- Medieval and Early Modern Encounters
- The Body of the Text/The Text of the Body
CWL 825 Advanced Study in Comparative Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: CWL 800 or permission of the instructor.
CWL 890 Editing and Publishing the Comparative Literature Journal (Units: 1-3)
Prerequisite: Comparative Literature majors or minors or permission of the department.
CWL 896 Directed Reading in Comparative Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Approved ATC and culminating experience proposal.
CWL 896EXM Culminating Experience Examination (Units: 0-3)
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor, committee chair, and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies. ATC and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.
CWL 898 Master's Thesis (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor; recommendation of major adviser; and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) for the Master of Arts and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies. ATC and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.
CWL 899 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)
Prerequisite: Permission of the graduate major adviser and supervising faculty member.