College of Arts and Sciences Bloomington
Chairperson
Professor Oscar Kenshur
Departmental E-mail
complit@indiana.edu
Departmental URL
www.indiana.edu/~complit
Graduate Faculty
Degrees Offered
Special Program Requirements
Master of Arts Degree
Dual Master of Arts Degree
Dual Master's Degree in Comparative Literature and
the School of Library and Information Science (M.A./M.L.S.)
Master of Arts for Teachers Degree
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Certificate in Literary Translation
Courses
Cross-Listed Courses
Graduate Faculty
Distinguished Professors
Willis Barnstone (Emeritus, Spanish and Portuguese), Peter Bondanella (French and Italian), Bruce Cole (Fine Arts)
College Professor of Cognitive Science and Computer Science
Douglas Hofstadter
Martha C. Kraft Professor of Humanities
Fedwa Malti-Douglas
Chancellors' Professors
James Naremore (English, Communication and Culture), Anya Peterson Royce (Anthropology)
Rudy Professor
Giancarlo Maiorino
Professors Emeriti
Salih Altoma (Near Eastern Languages and Cultures), Luis Beltrán (Spanish and Portuguese), Ernest Bernhardt-Kabisch (English), Peter Boerner (Germanic Studies), Matei Calinescu (English), Claus Clüver (Emeritus), Mary Gaither (English), Harry Geduld, Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis (English), Yoshio Iwamoto (East Asian Languages and Cultures), H. James Jensen (English), Merritt Lawlis (English), Irving Lo (East Asian Languages and Cultures), Henry Remak (Germanic Studies), Mary Ellen Solt, Ulrich Weisstein (Germanic Studies)
Professors
Gilbert Chaitin (French and Italian), Eugene Eoyang (East Asian Languages and Cultures), Ingeborg Hoesterey (Germanic Studies), David Hertz, Roger Herzel (Theatre and Drama), Douglas Hofstadter (Cognitive Science), Sumie Jones (East Asian Languages and Cultures), Oscar Kenshur (English, Philosophy), Breon Mitchell (Germanic Studies), Mihály Szegedy-Maszák (Central Eurasian Studies), Albert Wertheim (English, Theatre and Drama)
Associate Professors
Paul Losensky (Central Eurasian Studies), Herbert Marks (English, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Religious Studies), Rosemarie McGerr*, Angela Pao*, Ilinca Zarifopol-Johnston*, Yingjin Zhang (East Asian Languages and Cultures), Carl Ziegler* (Germanic Studies)
Adjunct Professors
Maryellen Bieder (Spanish and Portuguese), J. Peter Burkholder (Music), Karen Hanson (Philosophy), Gerald Larson (Religious Studies), Eleanor W. Leach (Classical Studies), William Rasch (Germanic Studies), Suzanne Stetkevych (Near Eastern Languages and Cultures), Bronislava Volkova (Slavic Languages and Literatures), Marc Weiner (Germanic Studies)
Adjunct Associate Professors
Joan Hawkins* (Communication and Culture), Barbara Klinger (Communication and Culture), William Rasch (Germanic Studies), Helen Sword (English), Purnima Bose* (English)
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Michel Chaouli (Germanic Studies)
Director of Graduate Studies
Professor Rosemarie McGerr, Ballantine Hall 919, (812) 855-7627 or (812) 855-9602
Return to Top
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts, dual Master of Arts, dual Master of Arts/Master of Library and Information Science, Master of Arts for Teachers, and Doctor of Philosophy
Return to Top
Special Program Requirements
(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)
For details about departmental rules and procedures, consult the current Comparative Literature Handbook.
Admission Requirements
Graduate Record Examination General Test required. For the Ph.D., fluent reading knowledge of at least two foreign languages. For the M.A., fluent knowledge of at least one foreign language. Deficiencies in undergraduate work and foreign languages must be removed within one year. Only students holding the M.A. or its equivalent will be considered for direct admission to the Ph.D. program.
Return to Top
Master of Arts Degree
Course Requirements
A minimum of 30 credit hours, 20 credit hours of which must be in Comparative Literature, including C501, C502, C507, one course on European literature in the premodern period (C505, C521, C523, or C525), and one course on European literature in the modern period (C506, C529, C533, C535, C537 or C538). In addition, M.A. students must complete a proseminar chosen from the graduate courses in Comparative Literature that students have not used to fulfill the other course requirements. With the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, students who have completed a graduate course on teaching in an English or foreign language department may be allowed to substitute that course for C507.
Language Requirements
Reading proficiency in two foreign languages. Proficiency may be certified by: (1) receiving a grade of B or higher in a graduate-level literature course or an undergraduate literature course at the 300 or 400 level in which the assigned readings are in the foreign language, or (2) passing an examination in translation and explication of literary texts in the foreign language administered by the Department of Comparative Literature in consultation with faculty in other departments. Successful completion of the 491/492 course sequence in a foreign language will not be accepted as certification of reading proficiency.
Master's Project
There are three ways to meet the master's project requirement: (1) by submitting a suitable term or seminar paper as a master's essay (the proseminar requirement is a suitable means for fulfilling this option); (2) by submitting an expansion of a seminar paper; or (3) by writing a formal master's thesis. Consult the Comparative Literature Handbook for details. The requirement should be fulfilled by the end of the sixth semester after beginning graduate studies in comparative literature at Indiana University.
Return to Top
Dual Master of Arts Degree
Students admitted to the dual Master of Arts program may obtain M.A. degrees in comparative literature and a related field with fewer credits than would be required if the two degrees were taken separately. Consult the Comparative Literature Handbook for details.
Return to Top
Dual Master's Degree in Comparative Literature and the School of Library and Information Science (M.A./M.L.S.)
The joint program consists of a total of at least 50 credit hours: a minimum of 30 credit hours in library and information science and a minimum of 20 credit hours in comparative literature. Consult the Comparative Literature Handbook for details.
Return to Top
Master of Arts for Teachers Degree
Admission Requirement
B.A. degree in comparative literature or an individual literature.
Course Requirements
A total of 36 credit hours, 20 of which must be in comparative literature, including C501, C502, one course on European literature in the premodern period (C505, C521, C523, or C525), and one course on European literature in the modern period (C506, C529, C533, C535, C537 or C538).
Language Requirement
Certification of reading proficiency in one foreign language.
Examination
A 90-minute written examination comparing two texts, drawn from an individual reading list. One text may be a work of art in a nonliterary medium. If two literary texts are compared, one must be in a foreign language.
Return to Top
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Course Requirements
A total of 90 credit hours, including 65 credit hours of course work, of which 35 credit hours must be in Comparative Literature, including C501, C502, C507, one course on European literature in the premodern period (C505, C521, C523, or C525), and one course on European literature in the modern period (C506, C529, C533, C535, C537 or C538). In addition, Ph.D. students must complete a proseminar chosen from the graduate courses in Comparative Literature that students have not used to fulfill the other course requirements. The dissertation must not exceed 25 research credit hours. With the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, students who have completed a graduate course on teaching in an English or foreign language department may be allowed to substitute that course for C507.
Language Requirement
Reading proficiency in three foreign languages. Proficiency may be certified by: (1) receiving a grade of B or higher in a graduate-level literature course or an undergraduate literature course at the 300 or 400 level in which the readings are in the foreign language, or (2) passing an examination in translation and explication of literary texts in the foreign language administered by the Department of Comparative Literature in consultation with faculty in other departments. Successful completion of the 491-492 course sequence in a foreign language will not be accepted as certification of reading proficiency. With the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, doctoral students may be allowed to substitute intensive preparation (at least 27 credit hours) in a nonliterary discipline for the third foreign language.
Minors
Two minors (subject concentrations), usually at least 12 credit hours each, or a single intensive minor, usually at least 24 credit hours.
Qualifying Examination
One written exam on three topics (areas). The examination will take into account work done in the minor field(s). At the student's request, one part may be written in a foreign language. Oral examination will follow. The exam can be scheduled any time satisfactory arrangements can be made with the faculty.
Final Examination
Oral defense of dissertation.
Ph.D. Minor in Comparative Literature
Four courses in comparative literature, including C501; fluent reading knowledge of at least one foreign language.
Ph.D. Minor in Literary Theory
Jointly administered by the Comparative Literature Program and the Department of English, the minor requires a minimum of three courses, including at least one selected from Comparative Literature C503, C504, C601 or C602, and one from English G660, L605, L607, L608, or L707. Other courses approved for the minor include French and Italian F564 and F584; Germanic Studies G505; Slavic Languages and Literatures R598; Spanish and Portuguese S473 and S512; and Theatre and Drama T555 and T556. Courses other than those listed above may also be acceptable toward completion of the requirement; written consent to count such courses must be obtained in advance from the graduate advisor in the Comparative Literature Program or the Department of English.
Ph.D. Minor in Biblical Literature
See this bulletin under Institute for Biblical and Literary Studies.
Return to Top
Certificate in Literary Translation
Course Requirements
Twenty-two (22) to 24 credit hours, including C580 History and Theory of Translation; three workshops in practical translation (C581), or two workshops plus C680 Topics in Translation Studies; two further courses in one of the foreign language departments, consisting either of graduate literature courses or advanced courses in the language itself.
Language Requirements
In-depth knowledge of English and one other language.
Translation Project
The student is required to complete an extensive written project under the guidance of a director who has been approved by the Comparative Literature Translation Committee. The project will consist of the translation of a literary or scholarly work or works into or from English, accompanied by an introductory essay. A student revising a translation originally prepared to satisfy the workshop requirements may receive a maximum of 3 credits for the revisions and introductory essay. If the project is completed independently of the workshops, a student may receive up to 4 credits. If the translation project is completed in partial fulfillment of the M.A. degree, the guidelines for the M.A. degree pertain.
For further details concerning departmental rules and procedures, consult the current Comparative Literature Handbook. Courses
Return to Top
Courses
Courses Required for M.A. and Ph.D. Programs
Theoretical and Interdisciplinary Courses
Period Courses
Genre Courses
Cross-Cultural Studies
Translation Studies
Research, Teaching, and General Topics
Return to Top
Courses Required for M.A. and Ph.D. Programs
C501 Introduction to Contemporary Literary Studies (3 cr.) Introduces major twentieth-century ideas about the nature of literature and the principles and methods of its study, including contemporary theories that have challenged traditional approaches and inspired new ones. Among the topics to be examined are New Criticism, formalism, structuralism, deconstruction, and psychoanalytic as well as reader-response and ideological criticism.
C502 Fields and Methods of Comparative Literature (1 cr.) Explores the various disciplines and approaches that constitute the practice of comparative literature at Indiana University and introduces their methods and bibliographical resources. Faculty members will lecture on their specialties. Students will carry out a bibliographical project to be completed by the end of the following semester.
Return to Courses
Theoretical and Interdisciplinary Courses
C503 Topics in World Criticism and Theory I (4 cr.) Selections from critics, theorists, and critical and theoretical movements before 1750 from an intercultural perspective. As topics vary, may be repeated for credit.
C504 Topics in World Criticism and Theory II (4 cr.) Selections from critics, theorists, and critical and theoretical movements after 1750 from an intercultural perspective. As topics vary, may be repeated for credit.
C545 The Bible and Western Literature (4 cr.) Questions of authority, unity, canonicity, and interpretive license studied with reference to selected texts from the Western tradition and their biblical source. Sample topics: Genesis and poetic origins; theories of inspiration; genealogy and historical narrative; hexameral epic; forms of parable; poetry and prophecy. May be repeated for credit when topic differs.
C546 Sexuality and the Arts (4 cr.) A variable-topics course which examines human sexuality as manifested in various areas of the arts, including sexuality and love in Western literature, sexuality and literature in the East, and sex and censorship in the cinema. A general introduction to methodology will be included. May be repeated once for credit.
C555 Theory and Methods of Interarts Studies (4 cr.) Examination of crucial areas of artistic interrelations and the purposes and methods of studying them. Introduces tools for analyzing individual literary, pictorial, and musical texts; concepts, terms, and approaches used in inter-art comparisons. Emphasis on signification, representation, intersemiotic transposition, imitation, illustration, style and period parallels.
C601 Studies in the History of Theory and Criticism (4 cr.) May be repeated for credit.
C602 Contemporary Theoretical Issues and Approaches (4 cr.) Examples are topics such as feminist theory, reader response criticism, hermeneutics. May be repeated for credit.
C641 Literature in Its Intellectual and Cultural Contexts (4 cr.)
C643 Literary Studies and the Social Sciences (4 cr.) Topics may include politics and the novel, new historicism, the theory of ideology. May be repeated for credit.
C644 Literary Studies and Psychoanalysis (4 cr.) Topics may include Freud and literature, Lacan and literary theory.
C645 Literary Studies and Religion (4 cr.) Topics may include traditions of Christian literature, mystical poetry. May be repeated for credit.
C647 Literary Studies and Philosophy (4 cr.) Major philosophical themes, such as Platonism, stoicism, skepticism, and mysticism, that appear and reappear in Western literature.
C649 Literary Studies and the Natural Sciences (4 cr.) Topics may include science and the theory of interpretation; the aesthetics of evolution. May be repeated for credit.
C655 Topics in Interarts Studies (4 cr.) Investigation of selected topics concerning the interrelation between literature, music, the visual arts, dance, and intermedia and multimedia texts. May be repeated twice for credit.
C692 Comedy in Film and Literature (4 cr.) Evolution, styles, and techniques of film comedy in America and Europe from the beginnings of cinema to the present. Theories of comedy and humor; relationship of film comedy to comedy in fiction, drama, pantomime, circus, and vaudeville. Work of leading film comedians.
C693 Film Adaptations of Literature (4 cr.) Analysis of the processes and problems involved in turning a literary work (novel, play, or poem) into a screenplay and then into a film. Close study of literary and film techniques and short exercises in adaptation.
C790 Studies in Film and Literature (4-12 cr.) Topic varies: evolution of national literary and cinematic traditions; cinema and the theory of narrative; literary adaptation in cinema; comparative study of cinematic and literary movements (e.g., surrealism, expressionism).
Return to Courses
Period Courses
C521 Ancient Greek and Roman Literature (4 cr.)
C523 Medieval Literature (4 cr.)
C525 The Renaissance and Seventeenth Century (4 cr.)
C529 The Eighteenth Century (4 cr.)
C533 Romanticism (4 cr.)
C535 The Later Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries (4 cr.)
C537 The Twentieth Century I (4 cr.) Early and middle twentieth century. Modernism and the avant-gardes.
C538 The Twentieth Century II (4 cr.) P: consent of instructor. Late twentieth century. Concentrates on postmodernism.
C630 Studies in Literary History (4 cr.) May be repeated for credit.
Return to Courses
Genre Courses
C511 Drama (4 cr.)
C513 Narrative (4 cr.)
C515 Lyric (4 cr.)
C516 Non-narrative Prose (4 cr.)
C610 Studies in the Theory of Genres (4 cr.) May be repeated for credit.
C611 Topics in Literary Genres, Modes, and Forms (4 cr.) May be repeated for credit.
Return to Courses
Cross-Cultural Studies
C571 African Literatures and Cultures I (4 cr.)
C572 African Literatures and Cultures II (4 cr.)
C573 Arabic-Western Studies (4 cr.)
C574 Japanese-Western Studies (4 cr.)
C575 Chinese-Western Studies I (4 cr.)
C576 Chinese-Western Studies II (4 cr.)
C670 Topics in Cross-Cultural Studies (4 cr.) May be repeated for credit.
Return to Courses
Translation Studies
C580 History and Theory of Translation (4 cr.)
C581 Workshop in Literary Translation (4 cr.)
C680 Topics in Translation Studies (4 cr.) May be repeated for credit.
Return to Courses
Research, Teaching, and General Topics
C507 Teaching Methods in Comparative Literature (3 cr.) Examination of the presuppositions, methods, and goals of teaching literature in a comparative mode at the college level. Topics include teaching literature and composition, interarts, and cross-cultural approaches to literature, foreign language and translation studies, teaching literary theory, and technological resources. Practice in developing courses, assignments, and classroom strategies.
C508 Teaching Literature and Composition (1 cr.)
C509 Teaching Internship in Comparative Literature (1 cr.) A teaching internship in an undergraduate comparative literature course.
C603 Topics in Comparative Literature Studies (4 cr.) Explores specific problems between two literatures or between literature and another area in the humanities. May be repeated for credit.
C604 Individual Readings in Literature (1-4 cr.) Special readings on literature arranged with Department of Comparative Literature faculty member. Faculty authorization is required.
C801 Research (cr. arr.)*
C805 Master's Thesis (cr. arr.)*
C810 Ph.D. Thesis (cr. arr.)*
Return to Courses
Return to Top
Cross-Listed Courses
English
L607 History of Literary Criticism to the Enlightenment (4 cr.)
L608 History of Literary Criticism from 1750 to 1960 (4 cr.)
French and Italian
F564 Issues in Literary Theory (3 cr.)
F647 Contemporary French Theory and Criticism (3 cr.)
Slavic Languages and Literatures
R505-R506 Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature I-II (3-3 cr.)
Theatre and Drama
T555-T556 Drama Theory I-II (3-3 cr.)
T567 European Drama from Moličre to Ibsen (3 cr.)
T571 Studies in Renaissance and Baroque Theatre (3 cr.)
T662 Comparative Theatre and Drama: Melodrama (3 cr.)
Return to Top
