Cluster: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on the World

CWL 103. Introduction to Comparative Asian Literature and Culture. Introduction to India and China cultures through an exploration of their literatures, cultures, and diasporas. Focus will be on the modern period.

CWL 104. Introduction to the Literature and Culture of the Middle East. Introduction to Middle Eastern and North African culture through an exploration of their literatures, with a focus on some of the major figures of the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries, such as Naguib Mahfouz, Ghassan Kanafani, Edward Said, and others.

CWL 132. World Mythology. An introduction to the study of mythology in a global context, with an emphasis on literary content and cultural perspectives.

CWL 235. Animals in World Literature. An examination of animal representation in world literature and how stories shape our relationship and understanding of different animal species. 

CWL 300. Representing the World: Literature and Culture in Contact and Conflict.  A writing-intensive exploration of world literature in comparative and cultural contexts, with an emphasis on themes and topics of global relevance.

CWL 314. The World Before 1492: Race, Gender, and Identity in the "Middle Ages." Interdisciplinary examination of the literatures of the pre-modern, post-Classical world with an emphasis on global interactions between cultures, peoples, and their stories.

CLSC 320. Ancient Iran and the Persian Empire. This course will exam the Persian Empire’s evolution–from its beginnings to its fall to Alexander the Great–and its impact on Alexander’s rule. Additionally, it will explore the aftermath of the Persians in Iran, the rise of the Parthians, and their continuing impact on Rome.

CWL 334. Introduction to East Asian Literatures and Cultures. A comprehensive introduction to the comparative study of East Asian cultures through the reading of representative selections from the literatures of China, Korea, and Japan in historical context. Focus is on the modern period.

CWL 402. Studies in Middle Eastern Literature and Culture. Study of specific authors, themes, genres, movements, or aspects of literature and culture in the Middle East or between the Middle East and the West.

CWL 406. East European Literature and Culture. Major movements, authors, and themes in Eastern European literature and culture (Slavic and non-Slavic) and/or the relationship of East European literature and culture and Western Europe and North America.

CLSC 410. Law and Literature in the Classical World. Introduction to the study of philosophy and interpretation of law through classical literature that encompasses fundamental legal questions and ancient legal source material and the application of modern theories of literary criticism to ancient and modern law.

CWL 440. Latin American Literary Studies. Comparative study of major literary genres in Latin American literature in relation to principal periods and movements of Western literary tradition.