Course Description
Examination of the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the transnational turn in area studies, with the aim of ascertaining the implications of this development for comparative literature in the global context. Special emphasis will be placed on the relevance of the texts examined to the contemporary global scene.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be expected to engage critically with
the material on a level that conforms with the standards of
scholarship set forth by the Graduate School. For every
primary text assigned, graduate students will be required to
examine a minimum of two critical articles and demonstrate
that they can integrate their knowledge of secondary sources
with their own analysis of the primary text. Graduate student
papers will be twice the length of undergraduate student
papers and involve a substantial research component: they will
be asked to incorporate primary evidence (historical,
archeological, philological) into an integrated analysis of
the text or texts they choose to examine.
Athena Title
Transnational Literatures
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
- to introduce students to the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the transnational turn in area studies, with the aim of ascertaining the implications of this development for comparative literature in the global context, and with special emphasis on the relevance of the texts examined to the contemporary global scene; - to situate the literary works within broad social and historical contexts; - to develop students' critical skills through the analysis of individual works of literature; - to improve students' communication through oral presentations and expository writing assignments. Students' performances will be assessed through presentations, papers, tests, and a final examination.
Topical Outline
What is Transnationality? Planetariness World Literature National Culture and the Nation-State Theories of the State, I and II Racial Formation Wallerstein's World Systems Theory The Work of David Harvey Imagined Communities Postcolonialism Space, Temporality, and the Politics of Culture
Syllabus