Comparative Literature Requirements | Department of Comparative Studies

In addition to sharpening your ability to analyze literature, you will learn about at least two different literary traditions, study literature written in a foreign language, and develop your understanding of relationships among literature, other kinds of writing, and other forms of art.

A total of 37 semester hours is required; see semester conversion chart.

Required courses (10 credit hours):

CS 2099 The Question of Comparative Studies
CS 2301 Introduction to World Literature
CS 3990 Approaches to Comparative Studies
CS 4990 Senior Seminar in Comparative Studies

Concentration core (15 credit hours):

At least four in Comparative Studies or Religious Studies and no more than two at the 2000 level. See the list of available classes below.

CS 2101 Literature and Society
CS 2102.01 Literature and Religion
CS 2103 Literature and the Self
CS 2104 Literature, Science, and Technology
CS 2105 Literature and Ethnicity
CS H2864 Modernity & Postmodernity: Issues and Concepts
CS 3603 Love in World Literature
CS 3604 Women in East Asian and Asian-American Literature
CS 3606 The Quest in World Literature
CS 3607 Film and Literature as Narrative Art
CS 3608 Representations of the Experience of War
CS 4803 Studies in Asian American Literature and Culture
CS 4804 Studies in Latino Literature and Culture
CS 4805 Literature of the Americas
CS 4808 Utopia and Anti-Utopia (3808 Utopia and Dystopia)
CS 4809 The Twentieth-Century Novel: Transnational Contexts
RS 4877 (3877) Myth and Ritual
CS 4903 World Literature: Theory and Practice
RS 4972 (3972) Theory and Method in the Study of Religion
CS 5602 Poetry & Politics 20th century Mediterranean
CS 5864 Modernity & Postmodernity: Concepts and Theories
CS 5691 Topics in Comparative Studies (subject to adviser's approval)

Electives (12 credit hours):

Students must take coursework in two different literary traditions, only one of which may be in the English language. At least 6 credit hours in a non-English literary tradition at the 3000-level or above must be taken in the original (foreign) language. (Prerequisites may in some cases be required; these will not be counted toward the major.) The remaining 9-12 credit hours may be in English, in the original or in translation. These must be focused in a particular area and must include at least 3 credits in related non-European and non-North American literatures (e.g., African, Caribbean, East Asian).

Coursework is to be chosen from the departments of English, African American and African Studies, East Asian, Greek and Latin, French and Italian, German, NELC, Spanish and Portuguese, and Slavic and East European. The list of courses that satisfy this requirement is below.

ELECTIVE COURSES IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

Comparative Studies electives
African American and African Studies electives
Arabic electives
Chinese electives
Classics electives
East Asian electives
English electives
French electives
German electives
Greek electives
Hebrew electives
History electives
History of Art electives
Italian electives
Japanese electives
Korean electives
Latin electives
Modern Greek electives
Near Eastern electives
Persian electives
Philosophy electives
Polish electives
Portuguese electives
Russian electives
Scandinavian electives
Slavic electives
Spanish electives
Theatre electives
Turkish electives
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies electives
Yiddish electives

Comparative Studies (department list)

2214 Intro to Sexuality Studies
2264 Introduction to Popular Culture Studies
2265 Intro to Visual Representation
2301 Intro to World Literature
2321 Intro to Asian American Studies
2322 Intro to Latino/a Studies
2340 Intro to Cultures of Science and Technology
2341 Technology, Science and Society
2350 Intro to Folklore
2360 Intro to Comparative Cultural Studies
2370 Intro to Comparative Religion
2864H Modernity and Postmodernity: Issues and Ideas
3603 Love in World Literature
3604 Women in East Asian and Asian American Literature
3606 The Quest in World Literature
3607 Film and Literature as Narrative Art
3608 Representations of Experience of War
4560 Wexner Center Seminar
4564 Topics in Literary Studies
4565 History of Literacy
4803 Asian American Literature and Culture
4804 Latino/a Literature and Culture
4805 Literature of the Americas
4808 Utopia and Anti-Utopia
4809 20^th-century Novel: Transnational Contexts
4822 Native American Identity
4877 Myth and Ritual
4921 Intersections: Approaches to Race, Gender, Class, and Sexuality
4972 Theory and Method in the Study of Religion
4903 World Literature: Theory & Practice
4990 Senior Seminar
5602 Poetry and Politics in the 20^th-Century Mediterranean
5668 Studies in Orality and Literacy
5691 Topics in Comparative Studies
5864 Modernity and Postmodernity: Concepts and Theories
5957.01 Comparative Folklore
5957.02 Folklore in Circulation

African American and African Studies (department list)

2201 Major Readings in African American and African Studies
2251 Introduction to African Literature
2253 Introduction to Caribbean Literature
3440 Theorizing Race
3451 Themes in Francophone African and Caribbean Literature
4407 Eco-Literature in China
4452 Swahili Literature I
4453 Swahili Literature II
4460 Theories in Africana Literature
4551 Topics in Africana Literature
4582 Special Topics in African American Literature
4584H Literature and the Modern Expericence in Africa
4921 Intersections: Approaches to Race, Gender, Class, and Sexuality

Arabic (department list)

2701 Classical and Medieval Arabic Literature in Translation
2702 Modern Arabic Literature in Translation
2705 The Arabian Nights
*3105 Intermediate Literary Arabic Reading
*4626 Intro to the Arabic Qur'an
5401 Translation: Theory and Practice
*5627 Classical Arabic Poetry
*5628 Classical Arabic Prose
*5651 Contemporary Arabic Prose Fiction
*5652 Contemporary Arabic Poetry and Drama
5701 The Qur'an in Translation
5702 Arabic Folk Narrative in Translation

Chinese (department list)

2451 Chinese Literature in Translation
4401 Chinese Poetry in Translation
4402 Traditional Chinese Fiction in Translation
4403 Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
4404 Chinese Drama
4405 China in Chinese Film
4407 Eco-Literature in China
4406 China Pop: Contemporary Popular Culture and Media in Greater China
6451 History of Chinese Literature I
6452 History of Chinese Literature II
6453 Classical Chinese Literature in Modern China

Classics (department list)

2220 Classical Mythology
2401 Intro to the New Testament: History and Literature
2890H Topics in Ancient Literature and Society
3100 Topics in Ancient Literature and Culture
3101 Greek and Roman Epic
3102 Greek and Roman Drama
3103 Comic Spirit in Antiquity
3104 The Ancient Novel: Narrative Fiction in Greece and Rome
3203 War in Ancient Greek and Roman Literature
3403 The Hero in Classical Mythology
4201 Political Thought and Institutions in the Greco-Roman World
5101 Classical Literature: Theoretical Perspectives and Critical Readings

East Asian (department list)

3446 Asian American Film
4407 Early Asian Cinema
5475 Women Writers, Culture, and Society in East Asia

English (department list)

2201 Selected Works of British Lit: Medieval through 1800
2202 Selected Works of British Lit: 1800 to Present
2220 Introduction to Shakespeare
2264 Intro to Popular Culture Studies
2275 Thematic Approaches to Literature
2277 Intro to Disability Studies
2280 The English Bible
2281 Intro to African American Literature
2282 Intro to Queer Studies
2290 Colonial and U.S. Literature to 1865
2291 Colonial and U.S. Literature: 1865 to Present
2296H Honors Seminar: Literature and Intellectual Movements
3361 Narrative and Medicine
3364 Special Topics in Popular Culture
3372 Science Fiction and/or Fantasy
3378 Spec Topics in Film and Literature
4513 Intro to Medieval Literature
4514 Middle English Literature
4515 Chaucer
4520.01 Shakespeare
4520.02 Special Topics in Shakespeare
4521 Renaissance Drama
4522 Renaissance Poetry
4523 Special Topics in Renaissance Literature and Culture
4531 Restoration and 18th‑Century Literature
4533 The Early British Novel: Origins to 1830
4535 Special Topics in Restoration and 18^th-Century British Literature and Culture
4540 19^th-Century British Poetry
4542 19^th-Century British Novel
4543 20^th-Century British Fiction
4547 20^th-Century Poetry
4549 Modern Drama
4550 Special Topics in Colonial and Early National Literatureof the U.S.
4551 Special Topics in 19^th-Century U.S. Literature
4552 Special Topics in American Poetry through 1915
4553 20th‑Century U.S. Fiction
4559 Intro to Narrative and Narrative Theory
4560 Special Topics in Poetry
4561 Special Topics in Fictional and Nonfictional Narrative
4562 Studies in Literature and the Other Arts
4563 Contemporary Literature
4564.01 Major Author in Medieval and Renaissance Brit Lit
4564.02 Major Author in 18^th- and 19^th-entury British Literature
4564.03 Major Author in American Lit to 1900
4564.04 Major Author in 20^th Century Lit
4569 Digital Media and English Studies
4575 Special Topics Literary Forms &Themes
4576.01 History of Critical Theory I: Plato to Aestheticism
4576.02 History of Critical Theory II: 1900 to Present
4576.03 History of Critical Theory III: Issues & Movements in Critical Theory
4578H Special Topics in Film
4579 Special Topics in Non-Fiction
4580 Special Topics in LGBTQ Literatures and Cultures
4581 Special Topics in U.S. Ethnic Literatures
4582 Studies in African American Literature
4583 Special Topics in World Literature in English
4584 Special Topics in Literacy Studies
4585 History of Literacy
4586 Studies in American Indian Literature and Culture
4587 Studies in Asian American Literature and Culture
4588 Studies in Latino/a Literature and Culture
4590HH590 Honors Seminar: Major Periods in Literary History
4590.01 Honors Seminar: The Middle Ages
4590.02 Honors Seminar: The Renaissance
4590.03 Honors Seminar: 18^th-century
4590.04 Honors Seminar: Romanticism
4590.05 Honors Seminar: Later 19^th Century
4590.06 Honors Seminar: Modern Period
4590.07 Honors Seminar: Literature in English after 1945
4590.08 Honors Seminar: U.S. and Colonial Literature
4590.09 Honors Seminar: Selected Topics in Literature and Literary Interpretation
4592 Special Topics in Women in Literature and Culture
4595 Literature and Law

French (department list)

2501 Topics in French Literature and Culture in Translation
2801 Classics of French Cinema
*3201 French Literary and Visual Texts
*3202 Literary and Visual Texts of the Francophone World
*3401 Intro to Contemporary France
3701 Intro to French Cinema
4053 French and Italian Cinema
*5103 French Translation and Interpretation
*5201 Gothic to Renaissance: Texts and Contexts
*5202 Versailles to the Enlightenment: Texts and Contexts
*5203 Romanticism to Surrealism: Texts and Contexts
*5204 World Wars and Beyond: Texts and Contexts
*5205 Black Africa & Diaspora: Texts and Contexts
*5206 North Africa: Texts and Contexts
*5207 Quebec: Texts and Contexts
*5401 Louis XIV to WWI
*5402 The Roaring 20s to the 21st Century
*5403 Topics in French-Speaking Cultures and Literatures
*5701 Topics in French and Francophone Cinema
5702 Studies in Contemporary French Cinema

German (department list)

2251 German Literature and Popular Culture
2252H The Faust Theme
2253 Magic, Murder, and Mayhem
2350 Intro to German Studies
*3200 Topics in German Literature, Art, and Film
3252 The Holocaust in Literature and Film
*3300 Topics in German Culture Studies
3351 Democracy, Fascism, and German Culture
*3451H Religion in Modern German Literature and Philosophy
*3600 Topics in German Linguistics/Language
3603 Translation I
4252 Masterpieces of German Literature
4670H Cinema and the Historical Avant Garde

Greek (department list)

*2101 Attic Prose
*2102 Homer
*2103 The Greek Historians
*2104 Greek Tragedy
*5011 Greek Epic
*5012 Greek Lyric, Iambos, Elegy
*5013 Greek Historians
*5014 Greek Drama
*5016 Readings in Greek Philosophy
*5030 Special Topics in Greek Literature

Hebrew (department list)

2700 Biblical and Post‑Biblical Hebrew Literature in Translation
2701 Medieval Hebrew Literature in Translation
2702 Modern Hebrew Lit in Translation
2703 Prophecy in the Bible and Post‑Biblical Literature
2704 Women in Biblical and Post‑Biblical Hebrew Literature
2705 The Holocaust in Lit and Film
2708 Biblical and Post-Biblical Wisdom Literature
*4601 Modern Hebrew Short Story
*4602 Modern Hebrew Poetry
*5601 Intro to Hebrew Literary & Cultural Texts
*5602 The Bible as Literature: Selected Readings
*5603 Readings in Rabbinic Literature
5802 The Problem of Evil in Biblical & Post‑Biblical Literature

History (department list)

2125 The History of Latin America through Film
2260 European Thought and Culture, 19^th Century
2261 European Thought and Culture, 20^th Century
2455 Jews in American Film
2965 Colonialism at the Movies: American History in Film

History of Art (department list)

2901 Introduction to World Cinema
3901 World Cinema Today
4901 Classic Film Theories
5901 Silent Cinema: 1895-1927
5902 Classical Sound Cinema: 1927-1948
5903 Recent Cinema: 1948-Present
5905 Avant Garde Cinema
5910 History of Documentary Cinema

Italian (department list)

2053 Intro to Italian Cinema
2054 Dante in Translation
2055 Mafia Movies
*3220 Italian Culture through the Ages
*3221 Reading Italy: Italian Lit and Culture
*4223 Italian Cinema
*4224 Survey of Italian Literature
4331 Italian Translating

Japanese (department list)

2451 Japanese Lit in Translation
2452 Modern Japanese Lit in Translation
4400 Japanese Film and Visual Media
4401 Japanese Lit and Film in Critical Perspective
*5454 Japanese Lit: Classical Period
*5455 Japanese Lit: Medieval and Edo Periods
*5456 Japanese Lit: Modern Period

Korean (department list)

2451 Korean Literature in Translation
5400 Performance Traditions of Korea
5405 Korean Drama in Translation
6445 Studies in Korean American Literature
6454 Korean Literary Traditions

Latin (department list)

*2101 Cicero
*2102 Vergil
*2104 Ovid
*2105 Latin Lyric
*2106 Roman Comedy

Modern Greek (department list)

2100 Greece and Beyond: The Crossing of Borders through Film
2500H Greek Identities: Ancient and Modern
3710 Modern Greek Lit in Translation
*5000 Modern Greek Language and Literature
*5510 Contemporary Greek Prose
*5520 Contemporary Greek Poetry

Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (department list)

2244 Films of the Middle East
3702 Literatures and Cultures of the Islamic World
3703 Middle Eastern Literature and Post Colonial Theory
3704 The Novel in the Middle East
4601 Israeli and Palestinian Literature
5202 Representing the Middle East in Film
5568 Studies in Orality and Literacy
5571 Canon and Communities in the Near East
5672 Poetry and Politics in the 20^th-century Mediterranean

Persian (department list)

2301 Persian Mythology and Folklore
2701 Persian Literature in Translation
2704 Intro to Persian Epic
*5601 Persian Prose
*5602 Persian Poetry

Philosophy (department list)

2450 Philosophical Problems in the Arts
2470H Honors Philosophy of Film
5460 Philosophy in Literature

Polish (department list)

5230 Polish Literature

Portuguese (department list)

2150 Intro to Literatures of the Portuguese-Speaking World
2335 Cannibal Brazil: Cultural Encounters and Negotiations of Identity in Lit & Culture
*3450 Intro to the Study of Literatures an d Cultures
4510 Portuguese Translation
*4551 Literatures from Middle Ages to Neo-Classicism
*4552 Literatures from Romanticism to the Present
*4560 Cultural Experessions of Portugal and Lusophone Africa
*4561 Cultural Expressions of Brazil
4597.01 Coloniality and Post-coloniality in the Literatures of Portugal and Portuguese-Speaking Africa
4597.02 Representing Identity in the Cinema of the Portuguese-Speaking World
*5650 Topics in Literature of the Portuguese-Speaking World

Russian (department list)

2250 Masterpieces of Russian Literature
3460 Modern Russian Experience through Film
3644 Russian Fairy Tales and Folklore
4220 Love and Death in Russian Literature and Film
4221 Revolution and Restoration in Russian Literature
5250 The Russian Writer

Scandinavian (department list)

3350 Norse Mythology and Medieval Culture
4250 Masterpieces of Scandinavian Literature
4450 The Films of Ingmar Bergman

Slavic (department list)

2345 Introduction to Slavic Literature and Culture
3320 Science Fiction: East vs. West
3360 Screening Minorities: Representations of the Other in Slavic Film
4260H Dead Man Writing: LiteraryRepresentations of Capital Punishment
4560H Cinderella’s Fantasy: Gender and Women in Western and Eastern Europe
5280 Slavic and East European Literature
5570 The Austro-Hungarian Grotesque

Spanish (department list)

2320 Don Quixote in Translation
2321 The Spanish Don Juan Theme in Theatre
2380 Introduction to Latin American Film
2520 Latin American Literature in Translation: Fictions and Realities
*3450 Introduction to the Study of Literature and Culture in Spanish
*4551 Spanish Golden Age Lit
*4552 Modern Spanish Lit
*4555 Indigenous, Colonial, and National Literatures of Spanish America
*4556 Modern Spanish American Literature
*4557.10 INtro to Latino/a Literature in the U.S.
*4557.20 Intro to Other Latino Literature in the U.S.
*4565H Latin American Indigenous Literatures and Cultures
*4580 Latin American Film
*4581 Spanish Film
*4590H Interdisciplinary Protocols: Identity and National Formation in Latin America: Perspectives from Literature

Theatre (department list)

2341H Moving Image Art
3731 Theatre Histories and Literatures
5341 Studies in the Documentary

Turkish (department list)

2701 Turkish Literature in Translation
5241 Travels in Turkey
*5627 Classical Turkish Poetry
*5651 Modern Turkish Poetry and Prose

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (department list)

2300 Approaches to Feminist Inquiry
2550 History of Feminist Thought
2702 Modern Arabic Literature in Translation
3317 Hollywood, Women and Film
3320 Topics in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
4375 Women and Visual Culture
4527 Studies in Gender and Cinema
4560 Chicana Feminism
4576 Women and Visual Cultures of Latin America
4921 Intersections: Approaches to Race, Gender, Class, and Sexuality

Yiddish (department list)

3371 Yiddish Literature in Translation
3399 The Holocaust in Yiddish and Ashkenazic Literature and Film
*4721 Studies in Yiddish Literature
*5651 Modern Yiddish Prose

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