UW Bothell Course Descriptions
UW Tacoma Course Descriptions
Glossary
Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for
C LIT 200 Introduction to Literature (3/5) A&H
Reading, understanding, and enjoying literature from various countries, in different forms of expression (e.g., dramatic, lyric, narrative, rhetorical) and of representative periods. Emphasis on the comparative study of themes and motifs common to many literatures of the world.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 200
C LIT 210 Literature and Science (5, max. 15) A&H
Introduces the rich and complex relationship between science and literature from the seventeenth century to the present day. Students examine selected literary, scientific, and philosophical texts, considering ways in which literature and science can be viewed as forms of imaginative activity. Offered: jointly with CHID 220.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 210
C LIT 230 Introduction to Folklore Studies (5) SSc/A&H
Folkloristics combines the methods and ideas of Literature Studies and Anthropology. Folktales (fairy tales), legends, jokes, songs, proverbs, customs and other forms of traditional culture are studied together with the living people and communities who perform and adapt them. Students learn the folklorist's methods of fieldwork (participant observation), ethnography, comparative analysis, and interpretation. Offered: jointly with SCAND 230; AWSpS.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 230
C LIT 240 Writing in Comparative Literature (5, max. 15) C
Comparative approach to literature and a workshop in writing comparative papers in English. Emphasis on cross-cultural comparison of literary works. Readings in English with an option to read selected texts in the original languages Offered: AWSp.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 240
C LIT 250 Introduction to Comparative Literature: Literature and Culture (5, max. 15) A&H/SSc
Study of literature in its relation to culture. Focuses on literature as a cultural institution, directly related to the construction of individual identity and the dissemination and critique of values.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 250
C LIT 251 Introduction to Comparative Literature: Themes (5) A&H
Reading and analyzing literature based upon rotating themes such as love, sex, and murder, haunted houses, and dreams and memory. Selections drawn from European, English, and American literature, not limited to period and genre.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 251
C LIT 252 Introduction to Comparative Literature: Genres (5) A&H
Reading and analyzing literature based upon rotating genres such as sci-fi, detective fiction, romance, love, poetry, and comedy. Draws from world literature.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 252
C LIT 295 Comparative Literature Study Abroad (1-5)
Equivalency for 200-level C LIT courses taken on UW Study Abroad programs or direct exchanges.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 295
C LIT 300 Introduction to Comparative Literature: Forms, Genres, History (5) A&H
Provides an introduction to comparative literary study which examines how literary forms and genres shape our reading of texts; how these forms and genres change over time; and how literary forms and genres manifest themselves in different cultural traditions. Includes theoretical readings and substantial writing.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 300
C LIT 318 Literature and the Holocaust (5) A&H, DIV
Examines fiction, poetry, memoir, diaries, monuments, film, and pop culture from several languages and cultural milieus, with emphases on English and Hebrew. Topics include survivor testimony, shaping of collective memory, the second generation, Holocaust education and children's literature, gender and the Holocaust, and fantasy and humor as responses to catastrophe. Offered: jointly with MELC 318.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 318
C LIT 320 Studies in European Literature (5, max. 15) A&H
Examination of the development of European literature in a variety of genres and periods. Possible areas of study include literature from romantic fiction of early nineteenth century through great realist classics of second half of the century or from symbolism to expressionism and existentialism.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 320
C LIT 321 Studies in Literature of the Americas (5, max. 15) A&H
Emphasizes connections between twentieth century literature of the United States and Canada and current literature of Latin America. Emphasizes that, despite obvious differences, much is shared in terms of culture and national sensibility across the two continents.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 321
C LIT 322 Studies in Asian and Western Literatures (5, max. 15) A&H
Topics designated by individual instructors.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 322
C LIT 323 Studies in the Literature of Emerging Nations (5, max. 15) A&H, DIV
Novels and short stories, from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Discusses relationship of Western literary genres to an oral literary tradition, as well as issues like colonialism, gender relations, narrative technique, native and non-native languages.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 323
C LIT 330 The European Fairy Tale (5) A&H
An introduction to folktales and literary tales from various traditions and periods. A discussion of their origin, special characteristics, dissemination, and relevance to the contemporary reader.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 330
C LIT 331 Folk Narrative (5) A&H
Survey of various genres of folk narratives studied in performance contexts to reveal their socio-cultural functions in a variety of milieux. Theory and history of folk narrative study, taxonomy, genre classification, and interpretative approaches. Offered: jointly with SCAND 331.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 331
C LIT 334 Immigrant and Ethnic Folklore (5) A&H/SSc
Survey of verbal, customary, and material folk traditions in ethnic context. Theories of ethnic folklore research applied to the traditions of American communities of Scandinavian, Baltic, or other European ancestry. Offered: jointly with SCAND 334.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 334
C LIT 350 Themes in World Literature: Parents and Children (5) A&H
World literature, from the Renaissance to modern times, based upon the theme of "parents and children." Selections drawn from European, English, and American literature, not limited to period and genre. Focus upon the motive of generational conflict.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 350
C LIT 352 Themes in World Literature: Death and Transfiguration (5) A&H
Theme of death, transfiguration, and new life in world literature. Selections from Tolstoy, D. H. Lawrence, Celine, E. M. Forster, and other major writers.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 352
C LIT 357 Literature and Film (3-5, max. 10) A&H
The film as an art form, with particular reference to the literary dimension of film and to the interaction of literature with the other artistic media employed in the form. Films are shown as an integral part of the course. Content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 357
C LIT 360 Topics in Ancient and Medieval Literature (5) A&H
Explores topics in literature and cultures of the ancient and medieval worlds across national and regional cultures, such as particular movements, authors, genres, themes, or problems.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 360
C LIT 361 Topics in Early Modern Literature (5) A&H
Explores topics in literature and cultures of the early modern world (approximately 1400-1800) across national and regional cultures, such as particular movements, authors, genres, themes, or problems.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 361
C LIT 362 Topics in Modern Literature (5) A&H
Explores topics in literature and cultures of the modern world (approximately 1800-present) across national and regional cultures, such as particular movements, authors, genres, themes, or problems.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 362
C LIT 371 Literature and the Visual Arts (5) A&H
Focuses on specific theoretical problems. Examines the relationship between text and image in a variety of art forms including poetry, novels, paintings, photography, essays, comic strips, film, and advertisement. Readings, in English, from a wide variety of national literatures. Course overlaps with: T FILM 220.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 371
C LIT 375 Images of Women in Literature (5, max. 15) A&H, DIV
Comparative study of the ways women's image, social role, and psychology have been portrayed by writers of various nationalities and literary periods. Selection of theme varies from quarter to quarter. Works are read in English translation.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 375
C LIT 395 Comparative Literature Study Abroad (1-5)
Equivalency for 300-level C LIT courses taken on UW Study Abroad programs or direct exchanges.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 395
C LIT 396 Special Studies in Comparative Literature (3-5, max. 10) A&H
Offered by visitors or resident faculty. Content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 396
C LIT 400 Introduction to Theory and Criticism (5) A&H
A selection of major theoretical statements in the history of literary theory and criticism, with texts drawn from such fields as literary studies, aesthetic theory, film studies, philosophy, and cultural studies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 400
C LIT 410 Studies in Literary History (5, max. 15) A&H
Introduction to a major figure or movement associated with the development of literary history. Through the study of one aspect of literary history students gain a thorough understanding of a particular point of view, while exploring the breadth of contemporary approaches to literature.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 410
C LIT 421 Studies in Connections: Literature and Other Disciplines (5, max. 15) A&H
Examines the links between literature and other disciplines or art forms. Literature and history, literature and philosophy, literature and music, literature and the visual arts are all appropriate topics. Selection of focus depends on instructor.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 421
C LIT 422 Studies in Genre (5, max. 15) A&H
Major genres of world literature: poetry, fiction, drama. Readings in English from a wide selection of national literatures.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 422
C LIT 424 The Epic Tradition (5) A&H
Ancient and medieval epic and heroic poetry of Europe in English: the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid; the Roland or a comparable work from the medieval oral tradition; pre-Greek forerunners, other Greco-Roman literary epics, and later medieval and Renaissance developments and adaptations of the genre. Choice of reading material varies according to instructor's preference. Offered: jointly with CLAS 424.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 424
C LIT 430 Readings in Folklore (5) A&H
Exploration of theoretical and methodological issues in folklore studies through independent reading of journal articles published during the last five years. Offered: jointly with SCAND 430.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 430
C LIT 431 The Northern European Ballad (5) A&H
Integrative study of the Northern European Ballad, with an emphasis on texts, performance, context, history, theory, genre classification, and interpretive approaches. Offered: jointly with SCAND 431.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 431
C LIT 432 Technology and Culture in the Making of Contemporary Empires (5) SSc
Explores the struggles that shaped organization of the U.S. empire at the turn of the twentieth century, focusing on how empire's material, cultural, and ideological boundaries were drawn. Topics include race, gender, and class as colonial formations; technologies of imperial governance such as public health, citizenship and territory; and popular culture. Offered: jointly with JSIS D 432.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 432
C LIT 441 Literature and the Holocaust (5) A&H
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 441
C LIT 474 Scandinavian Auteurs (5, max. 10) A&H
Studies the body of work of Scandinavia's auteur filmmakers. Introduces the theory and history of auteur cinema, with special attention to Scandinavian filmmakers' contribution. Offered: jointly with SCAND 470; AWSp.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 474
C LIT 490 Directed Study or Research (1-5, max. 10)
Individual study of topics in comparative literature by arrangement with the instructor and the Comparative Literature office.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 490
C LIT 491 Internship (1-5, max. 5)
Supervised experience in local businesses and other agencies. Open to upper-division comparative literature and cinema studies majors.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 491
C LIT 493 Comparative Literature Honors Seminar (5, max. 15) A&H
Special topics in comparative literature. Required of Honors students in comparative literature.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 493
C LIT 495 Honors Thesis (5) A&H
Preparation of an Honors thesis under the direction and supervision of a faculty member.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 495
C LIT 496 Special Studies in Comparative Literature (3-5, max. 15) A&H
Offered occasionally by visitors or resident faculty. Content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 496
C LIT 500 The Theory of Literature I: The Literary Text (5, max. 15)
An investigation into the nature of literature in contrast to other forms of writing and into essential features of literature such as genres, imagery, modes of communication, and structure.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 500
C LIT 501 The Theory of Literature II: History of Literature (5, max. 15)
An exploration of topics of literary history such as periods, traditions, the writing of literary history, and literary history in contrast to other histories.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 501
C LIT 502 The Theory of Literature III: Special Topics (5, max. 15)
Offerings vary to cover topics such as individual theorists, theoretical movements, or the intersection of literary theory with other disciplines or arts (psychoanalysis, structuralism, ethics, aesthetics).
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 502
C LIT 507 History of Literary Criticism and Theory I (5, max. 15)
A general introduction to the major issues in the history of criticism followed by the study of the classical theorists, including Plato, Aristotle, Longinus, and the major medieval critics. Offered: jointly with ENGL 507.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 507
C LIT 508 History of Literary Criticism and Theory II (5, max. 15)
Literary criticism and theory from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through the eighteenth century to, but not including, Kant. Offered: jointly with ENGL 508.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 508
C LIT 509 History of Literary Criticism and Theory III (5, max. 15)
Literary criticism and theory from Kant's Critique of Judgment to the mid-twentieth century and the work of Northrop Frye. Offered: jointly with ENGL 509.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 509
C LIT 510 History of Literary Criticism and Theory IV (5, max. 15)
A study of the major issues in literary criticism and theory since about 1965. Offered: jointly with ENGL 510.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 510
C LIT 511 Literary Translation (5, max. 15)
Lectures on principles of translating literary works into readable English. Students present and comment on translations made by them and write seminar papers on problems of translation in theory and practice.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 511
C LIT 516 Colloquium in Criticism (5, max. 15)
Recent trends in literary criticism, taught by representatives from various literature departments, covering critical trends such as structuralism, poststructuralism, hermeneutics, reception theory, and sociological approaches to literature.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 516
C LIT 530 Cultural Criticism and Ideology Critique I (5, max. 15)
A study of the main attempts to come to an understanding of the humanities and the nature of historical interpretation in a cultural context.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 530
C LIT 535 Cultural Criticism and Ideology Critique II (5, max. 15)
Offerings vary to cover individual theorists and particular manifestations of cultural criticism and ideology critique.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 535
C LIT 545 Medieval Studies (3/5, max. 15)
Literature, intellectual history, and sociology of the Middle Ages, 500-1200. Topics may include "renaissance" of the twelfth century; the educational ideal; rise of universities; philosophical concepts.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 545
C LIT 546 Studies in Renaissance and Baroque (3-5, max. 10)
Aspects of Western European literature during the Renaissance and Baroque period. Course content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 546
C LIT 547 Studies in Eighteenth-Century Literature (3-5, max. 10)
Examination of various trends in eighteenth-century literature including the Enlightenment, Rationalism, Pre-Romanticism, and Neo-Classicism. Course content varies with instructor.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 547
C LIT 548 Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature (3-5, max. 10)
Examination of various trends in nineteenth century literature including Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, and Symbolism.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 548
C LIT 549 Twentieth-Century Literature (3-5, max. 10)
Selected movements, schools, and trends of significance in twentieth-century literature of Europe and Americas. Symbolism, surrealism, dada, expressionism, neorealism, existentialism, nouveau roman, and absurd may be considered. Texts in English, French, and German figure most prominently, but Spanish, Italian, Russian, and other materials may be examined. Content and emphasis vary.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 549
C LIT 551 Textual Theory (5)
Provides an introduction to the intellectual foundations of textual studies; historical background in disciplines of philology and textual criticism, theories of textuality from formalism and New Criticism to poststructuralism, and media-specific analysis; current and emerging concerns in the history of the book, media studies, globally comparative philologies, and digital humanities. Offered: jointly with ENGL 501.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 551
C LIT 552 Manuscript Studies (5)
An examination of the theoretical and methodological issues attending the study of written texts including literacy, circulation, production, and reception in Premodern genetics, and archival research methods. Offered: jointly with ENGL 502.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 552
C LIT 553 Studies in Print Culture and Publication (5)
An examination of the theoretical and methodological issues attending the study of printed texts; training in bibliography and the history of the book from Gutenberg's hand press to the machine and periodical presses of the nineteen and twentieth centuries; and contemporary book art. Offered: jointly with ENGL 503.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 553
C LIT 554 Digital Literary and Textual Studies (5)
An examination of digital textuality from the rise and fall of "hypertext" to contemporary convergence and transmediation in hybrid visual-verbal genres; computer games, digital video, and e-poetry. Coverage of practical issues surrounding digital scholarship and the digital humanities. Offered: jointly with ENGL 504.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 554
C LIT 555 Capstone in Textual and Digital Studies (1)
Capstone in Textual and Digital Studies. Prerequisite: ENGL 501/C LIT 551; recommended: Must have completed a sequence of three courses, beginning with an Introduction to Textual Theory course (ENG 501/C LIT 551) and followed by one core elective and one open elective related to Textual and Digital Studies . Credit/no-credit only. Offered: jointly with ENGL 558.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 555
C LIT 570 The Novel: Theory and Practice (3-5, max. 15)
Study of the novel as a genre, examining two or more novels of varying national literatures. Course content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 570
C LIT 571 The Lyric: Theory and Practice (3-5, max. 15)
Examination of central questions in the study of the lyric genre as approached from an international point of view. Course content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 571
C LIT 573 The Drama: Theory and Practice (3-5, max. 15)
Examination of various aspects of the drama as a major literary genre, as approached from international and multilingual points of view. Course content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 573
C LIT 574 Scandinavian Auteurs (5, max. 10) A&H
Seminar on auteur filmmakers in Scandinavian cinema, studying specific auteurs' bodies of work, theories of auteur cinema, and the history of auteurism in Scandinavian cinema. Offered: jointly with SCAND 570; AWSp.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 574
C LIT 576 Seminar in East-West Literary Relations (3-5, max. 15)
Comparative investigation of literary topics requiring the study of both Eastern and Western documents. Explores parallels and contradictions between the two, in concepts, ideas, and specific topics. A comparative paper on a chosen topic with qualified conclusions is required. Emphasis varies. Prerequisite: at least one East Asian language.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 576
C LIT 590 Master of Arts Essay (5/10, max. 10)
Research and writing project under the supervision of a faculty member. Offered: jointly with CMS 590; AWSpS.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 590
C LIT 596 Special Studies in Comparative Literature (3-5, max. 15)
Offered occasionally by visiting or resident faculty. Course content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 596
C LIT 599 Special Seminar or Conference (1-9, max. 30)
Group seminars or individual conferences scheduled to meet special needs. Prerequisite: permission of graduate program adviser. Offered: jointly with CMS 599.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 599
C LIT 600 Independent Study or Research (*-)
Offered: jointly with CMS 600.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 600
C LIT 700 Master's Thesis (*-)
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 700
C LIT 800 Doctoral Dissertation (*-)
Offered: jointly with CMS 800.
View course details in MyPlan: C LIT 800
