Spring 2022

Comparative study of major works from Europe and the Americas from the eighteenth century to the present day, from Voltaire and Phillis Wheatley to Stanley Kubrick and Ada Limón. We will consider these works as representative of their historical periods, as well as their relevance for the world we live in today. This course is necessarily broad, covering a long history in a short stretch of time; but we will also delve deeply into the individual texts, films, and other works of art that we encounter. These distinct but related aims—coverage of a long history; close attention to specific texts—will be reflected in the writing assignments. These will include structured close reading assignments, as well as looser, more personal reflections on the sweep of the course. If the first type of assignment asks for sustained, intense analysis of a single passage of a single work, the second encourages you to draw connections between various works. Through these assignments, this course fulfills the Advanced Composition requirement. But beyond that, we hope you’ll find specific authors and larger movements and historical eras you may want to learn more about.